Training to be a Ninja
by Icy Cake
Summary: Isaac, Felix, Garet, and Jenna are Ninja Adepts in training in the hidden village of Vale. With the loss of their loved ones from the great battle, they learn the true path of becoming a Ninja.
1. The training will begin!

A/N: Hello! This will be my second Fanfic ever! I hope you'll enjoy. Right now, Isaac and them are only five-year olds getting ready to become ninjas. I've gotten this idea from watching Naruto, a very good anime. You should watch it! Anyway, later on, the four kids will grow up. So enjoy!

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Chapter 1

As silent as a preying tiger, she jumped from branch to branch with grace and quickness. She followed the shadowed figure before her. Whoever it was didn't notice her pursuit.

It moved gracefully, and so did she. When it stopped, she stopped. The shadowed figure turned around, sensing her presence but saw nothing as she was well hidden from its sight.

She grinned and took out three throwing pebbles, each held in between her fingers. She waited; waiting for a chance to catch that person off guard. It turned around, revealing its back.

__

Now! she thought as she leapt forward with great speed and flung the pebbles towards her unsuspecting target. They struck with a thud and the person fell over with a loud cry.

"Oww!"

She began to giggle. "Ha ha! I got ya, Garet!" she cried out with triumph. She jumped down from her high perch.

Garet rubbed his sore head and pouted. "Jenna, not the head!" he cried. He continued to rub his flaming red hair that stood high above his head.

"Sorry Garet, but this is training! Now, where's Felix?" she asked, listening to her surroundings.

"Right here."

A shower of pebbles rained down and struck both of them.

"Ow! Hey!" Jenna and Garet both shrieked.

Felix leapt down from his hiding spot. "Jenna, you shouldn't reveal yourself when enemies are still present," he lectured his younger sibling.

Rubbing her own head, she glared at him. "I'll keep that in mind!" she growled.

Felix brushed back his long dark hair. "Now you're both out. I must find Isaac before-"

"Too late!"

It was Felix's turn to be pelted by pebbles as Isaac leapt over them. Isaac landed with both feet on the ground and with a wide grin spread across his face. "I won this time!" he cheered and jumped for joy.

"Bah! I won more than all of you," Felix retorted, crossing his arms.

Jenna glowered at him. "Quit bragging. You're no winner, you're a cheater," she said.

"Cheater? I'm no cheater. I play fair," he countered calmly.

"Do not! You keep following one of us until we find another person and then you charge right in when we're not looking!" she claimed.

Felix rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't if you guys moved in _stealth_! You all make such a ruckus when you move around."

This time everyone glared at him. He re-crossed his arms and smiled.

Isaac dabbed a finger at him. "Felix, you poor loser. We're all perfectly skilled as you, so stop complaining," he said.

Felix brushed back his hair again. "I'm not complaining, _Isaac_. I'm just telling the truth."

"I'm telling mom!" Jenna cried angrily.

"Uh, I mean, I'm only telling the truth about Isaac. He's a klutz." Felix said.

"K-Klutz!" Isaac fumed. He glared daggers at Felix who stared coolly back at him. "I'll prove to you that I'm better than you. Let's see who wins in round four!"

"Alright. Let's see who wins, Klutz." Felix accepted.

Isaac got even madder. "I'm not a klutz!"

Jenna sighed. _Won't these two ever stop fighting?_ she thought to herself.

Isaac and Felix resumed to glare daggers at each other.

Jenna raised her hand. "I'm going to stay out of this one," she told them as she laid back on a tree trunk. "You boys go on and beat each other up. I'm going to take a break."

"Me too," Garet said as he continued to rub his head. He plopped on the grass, beside Jenna. "Those stones really hurt. We should use something else to tag each other."

"Bah!" Felix said, "They're nothing but pebbles. Too bad we don't get to use real shurikens."

"Hey! Those are even worse! You can get your head cut off!" Jenna yelled.

Felix waved his hand, "Nah, it's not going to be hard to learn how to use them. Once training school starts, I'll be the best ninja there!"

"No you're not!" Isaac yelled. "I'll be the best! And I'll prove it to you too. Come on, round four!"

They both disappeared into the woods in a gust of wind. Jenna sighed once more.

Time passed quickly among them and the game became more hectic. Once out of pebbles, the two boys got into a more hand-to-hand fight. Get knocked down to the ground and you're out. That included getting knocked out of the trees, and that happened too many times.

__

It's been hours… Jenna thought in a grumpy mood. There was a battle cry to her left and Felix back-flipped and landed perfectly just a few feet away from her. Isaac came flying at him, foot first, as he performed a jump kick. Felix blocked the blow and kicked high into Isaac's stomach. Isaac landed hard on his back with a loud "oomph".

Felix let out a short and raspy laugh. Gasping for breath he said, "Ha… beat ya… again…" Then he fell back and laid in the grass, exhausted.

Isaac coughed, then groaned. "Heh… I still… won more… than you," he gasped.

"Did… not…" Felix panted. They were both weary and dirty from hours of training, to prepare for school.

Garet approached them. "Hey guys, we should head back. It's getting dark." he said.

"That's right." someone said.

They all turned and saw a young woman, dressed fully in a red ninja tunic and black undergarments. Her deep violet-red hair was neatly tied in a ponytail. Tied around her forehead was the silver head piece with the symbol of Sol engraved in it. It was the recognition of being a Second-Class Ninja, or also known as a Genyin. She gazed upon the children with her hazel eyes and stood with a look of amusement on her slender face.

"Mommy! We were about to go home," Jenna squealed happily as she ran up for a hug.

Jenna's mother embraced the little one, then she looked at her son. "Felix? Isaac? What have you two been up to?" she asked in a friendly tone.

Felix let out a nervous laugh. "Nothing… mom. Just… playing…" he panted. He slowly sat up and brushed back his hair out of his face.

His mother frowned. "It's past supper time, young man. You were suppose to be home with Jenna before then. And all of you others, your parents are looking for you too. Come on, let's go home," she said. She lifted Jenna in a piggyback and said, "Felix, can you walk?"

Felix weakly got up, took a wobbly step and nodded. "I'm fine."

Isaac climbed to his feet with Garet's help. They followed right behind the family.

The sun was setting, shedding a red glow amongst the trees, making them look like they were on fire.

"How did the mission go?" Jenna asked her mother.

Her mother sighed. "It was too easy. Defeating the Rat Demons were a cinch," she explained. "I mean, why would they want the Elemental Stars? They're too dumb to use them."

Jenna giggled. "Maybe they wanted to get stronger to try to beat you, mommy. But I know you'll still be stronger than them."

Her mother laughed. "You think Mommy's that strong?"

"Of course!" Jenna said happily. "You can defeat any Demon there is!"

Her mother laughed again. "Ah, that reminds me. Daddy should be coming home tomorrow."

Jenna and Felix cheered in joy.

"Hey," Garet said, "That means my sister will be home too." He smiled happily.

They reached their home village of Vale. It was a village deeply hidden inside the thick forest to protect and hide the village's sacred treasure: the Elemental Stars. These jewels contained massive power, and whoever possessed all of them would be granted infinite energy and strength. If a Demon got a hold of them, then they will transform into an unstoppable monster…

The people of Vale have sworn to protect the Stars hidden deep within Mt. Aleph. For centuries, the Stars have never been touched. Where the Stars are hidden is only known by one man: the Wise One, Kallis Heidachi. He is the village's most strongest and experienced Shinobi, a True Ninja. Age eighty-five, he is the leader of Vale and everyone respected and honoured him.

A man dressed completely in black garments approached the woman and the children. He wore leather arm and leg guards. Strapped to his body were kunai knives and on his back was a katana blade. He too, wore a silver head piece on his forehead that indicated that he was also a Genyin. Strands of chestnut hair fell over his hazel eyes. Dangerous-looking as he was, he smiled brightly.

"Garet, there you are. We were looking for you," he told his son. "Come on, time for supper. We both don't want to be late, your mother is going to yell at us!" he scratched his head nervously.

"Okay, dad. See you guys tomorrow!" Garet said as he ran up to his father who mussed up his hair. They both waved goodbye.

"Thanks Shina, I'll see you tomorrow," said Garet's father as he left.

Another man approached them with a panicked expression. He also wore a Genyin head piece on his forehead that held his honey-brown hair out of his face. He wore a black garb with streaks of gold and white undergarments. Strapped on his waist were kunai knives and a katana sword. He looked relieved when he saw who they were.

"Oh, I'm glad you found him, Shina!" he told the young woman. Then he bent down on one knee in front of Isaac and placed both hands on his shoulders . "I was so worried about you, young man! If your mother found you missing when she comes home, she would put my head on a platter. Literally!" he exaggerated. He sighed with relief. "What happened to you! Did you get attacked?" he asked his son with worry.

Isaac only giggled. "Don't worry, dad! Felix and I were just playing," he responded. "Mom's coming home?"

His father let out another sigh of relief, then he shook his head. "No, no. She won't be home until another three days," he explained. "Come on. I have to get supper ready for the both of us, then you can stay with auntie Shina. Or do you want to stay at Garet's house over the night?" he asked.

Isaac looked sadly to the ground. He shrugged his decision. "I don't know… Anyone's fine…" he answered quietly.

"Isaac… I'm sorry. It's just that… I have to be with the night watch and…" his father explained.

Isaac faked a smile. "It's alright, dad. I understand how important it is…" he said, trying to cheer his father up.

His father looked straight into his blue eyes and smiled. "I'm glad you understand. Your mother and I are really sorry, for not being there for you. Too much is happening and so…" his father tried to explain.

Isaac nodded and continued to smile, "It's okay, dad. Really."

"Alright then. Shina, do you mind taking care of Isaac over the night?" his father asked the young woman.

"Not at all, Kyle. I know how hard it is to be there for Isaac with your wife gone on a mission, and you being with the night watch," Shina said.

Kyle smiled. "That's great. I'll drop him off after supper."

After a disastrous supper, Kyle dropped Isaac off at Shina's home. "Remember, tomorrow's your first day of training, so don't stay up too late. You have to wake up early in the morning," he told his son whom nodded in response. Kyle smiled and patted the head of his bright little boy before he left.

Concern began to spread across his face as he headed towards his post. Dora has been sent, along with many others, on a dangerous mission to eliminate a large army of Snake Demons to the south of Vale. Snake Demons were poisonous and Kyle worried about the team's progress.

__

What if they got ambushed by the Demons and many were killed? he thought horribly. He furrowed his brow. He knew he shouldn't think about things like that. He always had a nagging feeling whenever his wife was gone from his sight. _She's too precious to me… I can't stand losing her. Neither can Isaac,_ he thought with dread.

Once he reached his post, on top of the village gate, he gazed upon the starry night sky and hoped for the best.


	2. Morning Surprises

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Chapter 2: Morning Surprises

The morning sun gently rose over Mt. Aleph, casting its shadow over the peaceful village of Vale. As early as it was, people were already awake, preparing for another day. But today was a special day for the children; it was the day they began to fully train to be a Ninja.

It was a truly exciting day for Isaac. He had been lying fully awake in the bed he shared with Felix, his soon-to-be rival. He had awoken before sunrise and couldn't go back to sleep, with Felix constantly tossing and turning in his sleep and with the excitement rushing through Isaac's mind.

He felt disappointed too. None of his parents were going to be there on his first day… The boy frowned and looked over at Jenna, who was sleeping soundly on her own bed right beside him, clutching tightly to her teddy bear. He felt jealous of her yesterday; seeing her mother carry her home. He had wished his mother was home long enough to be with him, to be able to carry _him_ home. But, whenever she did come home, she quickly had to leave again, on another mission. His mother was a First-Class Ninja, a Kuuyin. Unbelievably, she was a higher rank than her husband! Perfectly skilled in the ways of the Ninja, strong willed and determined, she was always there, protecting the village from Demons and thieves.

__

Always there…but never here, Isaac thought sadly. He doesn't even see his father much either. Kyle was a village defender and a night watch guard. When enemies were about to invade Vale, or if enemies somehow leaked into the village, he would act quick to dispatch them. He slept during the day, so he often needed peace in the house for he couldn't fall asleep too easily. Isaac would be sent to Jenna's or Garet's to stay during the day, then spend the little time he had with his father during supper before he had to get to his post.

Isaac knew they loved him, but he had never felt their _love _for him. He wished, just once, that both his parents were home for one day. Just once.

Felix moaned, turned his body towards Isaac, and continued to sleep.

__

Heavy sleeper… Isaac thought, smiling. Felix was hogging the golden-haired boy's side of the bed, now Isaac had nowhere to sleep. _Unless…_ he thought, grinning. He poked Felix in the shoulder. No reaction came from the other boy. He nudged him. Still nothing. He then pushed Felix back to his side and still Felix didn't flinch.

He pulled the blanket they shared towards his side, leaving none for Felix, and snuggled back to sleep. But he couldn't fall asleep, so he mostly just thought about how the day will go.

"It's time to get up, everyone!" sang a sweet, cheery voice. Someone pulled open the drapes, shining sunlight upon Felix's sleepy face. Yawning, he stretched out his aching body, hitting someone beside him. It was Isaac.

Mumbling, Felix got out of bed and got ready for breakfast. Fried eggs, toast, cheese and milk. All of them delicious.

"Get changed, it's time for school," his mother told him after he was finished.

He grabbed his daily clothes but, they were too dirty from yesterday. Groaning, he just grabbed a pair of black pants and a dark green tunic with a black leather belt. He put on his leather arm guards his father had given to him for his fifth birthday, then buckled his tool pouch around his waist. Then he grabbed his wooden sandals and waited outside.

Isaac came out, looking a little sleepy, but also very excited. He wore his casual light blue sleeve-less tunic, dark blue shorts, black wood sandals, and leather finger-less gloves. His golden-brown hair dangled in every direction, making it look all spiky and odd. Strapped around his right leg was his black utility pouch.

Felix could see all the cuts, bruises, and scratches on his arms from yesterday.

Smirking, Isaac greeted Felix with a taunt. "Lets have a race to the training grounds, _Felix_!"

Felix smirked back, "Alright. You know where it is?"

Nodding, Isaac pointed to the base of Mt. Aleph. "I think it's there."

Just then, Jenna and her mother came out of the house. Jenna's shiny violet hair was tied up in her usual ponytail to prevent it from getting in her face. Her hair was as long as Felix's, and Felix never tied it up or anything. He preferred to let it stay down where it often covered his face. "Tie your hair back," his mother had always told him, but he would respond with, "That's what girls do." He didn't want his hair to be cut either. He liked long hair, not short. Short hair felt… weird to him. It was like a feeling of nakedness.

Jenna jumped down to the boys with a wide smile. "Today's the day!" she squealed happily. She reached down and adjusted her outfit, which was a pale red tunic and light purple shorts. Around her waist was her brown leather utility pouch.

Felix's mother locked the door and smiled at the children. "It's time to go," she said cheerfully.

"Mom, Isaac and I are gonna race each other to school," Felix said as he stretched his legs.

"I wanna come too!" Jenna cried.

"We'll all go," her mother said, smirking at the boys. "Let's see who wins. Ready, Jenna?"

Jenna nodded. They all prepared to sprint…

"Ready?" Shina began.

"On your mark…"

The three children tensed with excitement as Shina was about to say… "Go!"

All of them moved as quick as lightning, zooming through the village. Felix leaped to the rooftops, a quicker route and a lot safer. Below him, he saw Isaac rushing around unwary villagers and bounding over fences with grace. Jenna and his mother was nowhere to be seen. But that didn't matter; only beating Isaac was on his mind.

He pumped his legs with as much adrenaline he could muster. He lowered his upper body, decreasing wind resistance and increasing his speed. Good thing the houses were built in a relatively straight line leading towards the mountain. Once the training grounds were in sight, Felix grinned and leapt farther between the gaps of the houses. He knew he was going to be first.

Once near the edge of the last house, he bent his legs as low as he could and jumped fully into the air, towards the training area.

He landed hard. _Still need to work on that landing…_ he thought, cringing at the prickling pain climbing up his legs. There was a single pole with the flag of Vale tied to the top, in the center of the battle ground. He ran towards it, just as Isaac emerged beside him, running towards the same goal. There were other kids and adults around but they ignored them and continued on.

They ran evenly side by side, panting with their efforts. Once they were almost to the pole, they stopped suddenly when they spotted Jenna's wide grin in front of them. She held up two fingers, making a "V" for, "Victory!" she said happily.

Gaping in awe, Felix and Isaac both stared at her. "H-How'd you get here so fast!" Felix cried.

Jenna giggled. "I guess I'm faster than both of you!" she said. Her mother appeared beside her, laughing at the two bewildered boys.

"Looks like Jenna beat both of you. Now look who's the fastest!" she smiled, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Aw! Mom! You helped her didn't you!" Felix cried out, angrily.

Still smiling, Shina looked away. "Umm, I don't know what you're talking about…" she said in an innocent tone.

"MOM!" Felix yelled. Then he pouted and turned his back towards her, arms crossed against his chest.

Jenna laughed. "Felix's mad now!" she said.

Shina reached out and mussed her son's hair. "Don't take it too hard, little man. We were just having fun. Besides, you were so quick I could hardly stay ahead of you," she told him, making him feel a bit better.

That put a small smile on Felix's face. "…Really?" he asked, uncrossing his arms.

His mother nodded, "Really. In fact…" She reached out and mussed Isaac's hair as well, receiving a protest from the other boy. "You both were quick. I'm surprised you two could run so fast."

Smiling from the compliment, Isaac looked happily at her. Then he fixed his hair.

Around them, many other kids their age, and some a little older were starting to gather around. Among the crowd, they spotted Garet's family where they were all greeted by the villagers. Garet's grandfather was the village's Chief. Old, wise, and skilled, he was the leader of Vale. Garet's whole family, (except his sister), returned their blessings to everyone there. They arrived last to Shina's little group.

"Shina! Splendid day, don't you think?" the old man greeted cheerfully.

Garet met up with Felix and them. "Hey guys, we were slowed down because we had to greet everyone," the little red-head said, a scratching the back of his head nervously.

The shrine bells began to ring as soon as Felix was about to say a remark.

"Welcome!"

A young woman with shining blonde hair landed before everyone, catching their attention. She wore tight purple pants, a sleeve-less dark blue top that showed her belly-button. On her arms were dark purple gauntlets, heavily armoured. She wore a shining silver Genyin head piece tied around her forehead.

Grinning, she announced herself , "Hello everyone. I'll be the Jouyin's sensei this time! Now, we should quickly begin training!"

All the adults nodded. Turning towards their children, they all said goodbye and good luck.

"Behave, you two," Shina warned Felix and Isaac. Then to Jenna, "Be careful, honey. Watch your brother."

Jenna hugged her and said, "I will, Mommy. I'll make sure he won't do nothing bad!"

Smiling, Shina patted her head, and once again, mussed the boys' hair. "Be sure to come straight home for lunch." Then left, waving along the way behind her.

Once all the adults were gone, the Jouyin teacher motioned all the children to gather around her. "Hello children. My name is Ida Suharu. I'll be your sensei until you graduate to Kiruyin!" she greeted the children happily.

__

Today's the day… Felix thought with a smile.


	3. Legends

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Chapter 3:

"Shit!" Dora cursed. She jumped just in time, avoiding the Snake Lord's massive jaws. Two long needle-like fangs dripped venom from the snake's mouth. The giant serpent hissed madly for missing its prey. Turning on a dime, the giant snake lunged again, straight at Dora.

The battle has been going on for too long. Many of Dora's team were wounded, two were dead.

The giant snake snapped at air as Dora jumped to the side, throwing three shurikens at its left eye. One struck home, blinding the eye, while the other two hit elsewhere, making it bleed. Hissing in rage, the snake swung its tail, missing its moving target once again. But the snake reacted quickly, it swung again and charged with its gaping mouth at the same time, catching Dora by surprise.

Summoning the Wind Element was a breeze, as Dora did so to increase her speed to avoid the snake's attack. She ran past the serpent's blind side and threw two of her kunai knives at its head. They pierced the snake's thick scales with ease, but they were not strong enough to kill the Demon.

__

Damn it! Dora cursed in her head. She reached back to bring out her ninja blade. The snake was outraged, it hissed, it spat, it charged again.

Dora grinned as she prepared to use her sword. But she saw something sneak up on her in the corner of her eye.

__

Oh sh-

The snake's tail had wrapped around her in a tight grip, squeezing the life out of her. Dora struggled to get out, but it was no use. Her arms were tightly bounded and she lost her grip on her weapon.

"Ha ha ha ha!" the snake laughed in a raspy voice. "Pathetic human. You're going to pay for what you did to my eye!" it roared. It tightened its hold on Dora's body, crushing her until she screamed in pain. The snake laughed in a hissy way, laughing at her torture.

"Hidekeru-sama!"

Flaming shuriken flew into the Demon's good eye, blindng it entirely. "Kssssaawwrr!" the serpent bellowed in rage, and in pain. Blood splattered all over Dora but she didn't care. She escaped the snake's clutches with the help of one of her teammates, Yime Satoshi.

"Let's finish this!" Satoshi said as he brought out his katana blade. Dora nodded, bringing out more shurikens. She planned to combine them with the Wind Element, making them fly with incredible speed. Dora attacked first, throwing her stars that were surrouned with a purple aura; Psynergy. They flew so fast that they went right through the neck of the unsuspected snake. Satoshi finished it off by slicing the serpent's head completely off.

Finally, the snake was finished. Its body and head landed with a sickening thud.

Worn out and tired from the battle and as well from the lack of sleep, Dora slumped to the ground. "Hidekeru-sama! Are you alright?" Satoshi asked in alarm.

Dora waved her hand, indicating that she was alright. "I'm alright Satoshi. And please, just call me Dora," she told the young man for the hundrenth time. He was only a teenager, many would consider him only a kid, but Dora respected him. The boy was mature enough to be called a man. Satoshi rubbed his black gloved hand over his wild sky-blue hair.

"Alright, Dora," Satoshi responded. Dora grinned at him. He was a smart kid, very skilled and very talented in the use of Psynergy. He had excellent control over his powers; a master at combining his Psynergy with his body and with all sorts of weapons to create a deadly combination. Satoshi was only a Genyin, so Dora had to keep an eye out for him. He was the only Genyin on her team, everyone else was a Kuuyin, like her. Why Kallis had assigned him with her team was probably because of his amazing technique; the ability to heal with Psynergy. Healing was a Water Element, and ninjas have no control over that Element.

The main reason for that would be because Satoshi was different. He was never born in Vale. Ten years ago, Dora led her team to the East to eliminate the growing population of Spider Demons. The females laid thousands of eggs each day, and if they continued to breed, there would had been enough of them to wipe out Vale.

So, Dora and her team were sent to kill them all. Killing them wasn't easy; the spiders could spit acid that easily burned through flesh and armour and they could trap them in their sticky webs. Many were wounded in that battle, and luckily, no one died. When Dora was on a search for any surviving spiders, she stumbled upon an unconcious boy, about eight years old. There was no sign of how he got there. The boy was badly hurt and needed medical attention, so Dora had quickly carried him back to Vale.

Sadly, the boy suffered from amnesia. He couldn't remember who he was or how he had gotten here. There was a strict rule in Vale: outsiders were not allowed to enter and if they did, they were executed. But, the boy was only a child. Innocent. Many protested against his execution, and with that, they allowed him to stay. But, he could never leave.

Dora had been given the honour to rename the boy, and so she named him Yime Satoshi. Satoshi didn't mind his new name. "This name will now be mine… My real name is forgotten and so, I am now Yime Satoshi!" the little boy said cheerfully when Dora had announced the news to him. Satoshi lived with her family, even till this day. He was like a little brother she never had, and an older brother to Isaac. The strangest thing about him, was his bright golden eyes. A very odd colour… They seemed to glow like the sun whenever he was happy.

Sometimes, Dora had wondered why he had not been promoted to Kuuyin yet. But after fighting along side him in many battles, she had figured it out. Satoshi was careless in battle; he would charge right in without a stragetic plan on how to defeat the enemies with minor consequences.

He still needed training. _And discipline._ Dora thought. "How are the others holding up?" she asked him.

Satoshi grinned. "They wiped out that whole group after you led their leader away. Smart move, Hidekeru- err, I mean, Dora," he said, blushing in embarrassment.

"Good. Good. We'll be heading home in no time," she said, smiling. She stuck two fingers into her mouth and whistled. Instantly, all her teammates arrived before her. They all carried the wounded over their shoulders. "We're almost done," she told everyone, raising their spirits. "Their leader has been slain and now we must clean the rest up. How many are wounded?"

"All but six of us," one of them said. It was a young woman by the name of Elli Yuka. She had the bottom half of her face covered in a black shawl, concealing her features. Only her bright blue eyes were visible. Her hair was a up in a messy ponytail.

"We can still go on," one of the injured men had said.

Dora nodded. "No, Satoshi will tend to your wounds as well as the others. All we need to do is scout the area for anymore snakes." She faced Yuka and the rest who were not injured. "The six of you split up and if you find any survivors, kill them. I will go scout that way," she pointed behind her.

"Got it," they all said, then disappeared.

Nodding to Satoshi who nodded back, Dora leapt up into the forest trees. _I'll be home soon, Kyle. Isaac. How I miss you both. I'll be home in no time!_

Ida Suharu-sensei led the children to the center of the training grounds after the attendance call. All her students were here, which was a good thing. Weapons of all sorts were laid neatly on a red blanket on the dirt ground. She identified each weapon in full detail of how they were used in battle. Swords, shurikens, kunai, knives, axes and so forth. When she got to the bundles of rolled up paper, the children got very curious at how they were used.

"These," she said, holding one up, "Aren't rolled up pieces of paper. They're scrolls. And they're very special scrolls. These are Summon Scrolls."

The children gaped in awe. "Summon Scrolls are used to summon certain creatures into battle. They're very dangerous to fool around with. If you're not strong, you can lose control over the creature and many _terrible_ things could happen!" Suharu-sensei warned. "But we won't go into much detail about them, you won't be able to learn how to use them till you are a Kiruyin."

Garet remembered the many stories his grandfather had told him each night. They were about the battles his great grandfather had fought and survived in. Garet's favourite story was the war in Vale over one hundred years ago. His great grandfather had fought against a massive army of the Fire Clan, who had wanted the power of the Elemental Stars. It was the most bloodiest battle in the history of Vale. Vale had almost been defeated, but a legendary creature was summoned by the Wise One, the magnificent Phoenix. With its flaming wings, the Phoenix wiped out over half the Fire Clan's army, causing them to retreat to whence they came. His great grandfather had seen the legendary beast, and so, he passed down the story to his sons and their sons of its existence.

Garet couldn't help but tell everyone about it. "Will we be able to see the great Phoenix someday?" he asked Suharu-sensei.

Everyone turned to look at him. Suharu raised a brow. "A Phoenix? You mean like that one in those stories?" she asked him.

Garet nodded. "I know it exists! Grandpa told me about it. The great Wise One of that time summoned it into battle over a hundred years ago," Garet explained, blushing at everyone staring at him.

Suharu-sensei scratched her chin. "Hmm. It's very unlikely that we'll ever see one. Once a Summon creature is unsealed from its scroll, the scroll burns away and the creature disappears after unleashing its power," she told him and the others.

"Grandpa says that they come back after awhile…" Garet said.

Suharu-sensei nodded. "That _is_ true. Depending on the creature summoned, the creature will be reborn once again after a few years, or maybe longer. The Phoenix is such a legendary creature that it could take…probably a hundred years for it to be reborn!" she explained.

The children talked amongst themselves about their new topic. "But…" Garet began, waiting for his schoolmates to quiet down. "It _has_ been over a hundred years, do you think it has already been reborn?" he asked.

Suharu-sensei shrugged. "Possibly. The Phoenix is one of the four Legendary Beasts after all. They're tough to find, and they're tough to seal. I know one thing though: we have two of the Legendary Beasts sealed in special scrolls. The Ancient Dragon, and the water guardian, Leviathan." she said, surprising the children. "The scrolls are locked away in the shrine."

"That's awesome!" the children said in awe.

Suharu-sensei nodded. "I know this is all interesting stuff, but we really need to get started on our first lesson," she said.

"But…" Garet raised his hand to speak.

Sighing, Suharu-sensei nodded for him to continue.

"But how did they get sealed into scrolls?" he asked.

"Well," his sensei began, "Forty years ago, Kallis left to search for the Ancient Dragon alone. He knew a hundred years had past since the dragon had been summoned into battle, and so he left in search of it. Many weeks had past, and still, there was no sign of Kallis. Until one rainy day, he returned. Battered, bruised, and bloody, Kallis held out the scroll of the Ancient Dragon."

"Really?" one of the children asked.

Suharu-sensei nodded. "Yup. I saw the whole thing myself," she said. "I know I may look young, but I'm actually forty-nine years old."

Garet raised his hand again, "What about the other one? Did Kallis seal it too?"

She shook her head. "No. Leviathan had never been used for centuries. We had kept it safe with us for many generations," she explained. Then she smirked, "Enough of our history, it's time for Lesson One: Hand-to-hand combat. You'll learn how to defend, avoid, attack, and strike when necessary in a fight. Now, follow me."

She led them into the nearby woods just outside the gates. They stood in an open, grassy area. "This is where you'll train," she told them.

The morning had went by really quickly for everyone. Each of them sparred with another schoolmate. Isaac had chosen Felix to be his partner. Suharu-sensei was teaching them how to defend first. She taught them the proper defending stance. Then they learned how to block punches and kicks with one hand, and how to counter with the other. Felix was the attacker, while Isaac was the defender. Felix kicked, aiming for Isaac's head, but his rival grabbed his foot with his left hand and twisted it to side, making the dark-haired boy lose his balance. Then Isaac used his right hand and palmed Felix in the chest, knocking him down.

Isaac couldn't help but grin at his rival. Felix sprang back up, angry. "Grr… It's my turn, _Isaac_! Let's do this!" he growled at his smirking foe.

Felix brought his arms forward, ready to block any oncoming attacks. The other boy did so as well. Isaac circled the dark haired boy, keeping his blue eyes set on Felix's dark ones. They both followed each others' movements, until Isaac charged in, blowing a low punch at Felix's stomach. Felix saw the attack and raised his right knee, blocking the punch. Then he elbowed Isaac's back with his right arm, knocking him down.

"Oww…" Isaac groaned. "You were suppose to block with one hand! Not with your leg!" he roared.

Crossing his arms, Felix shrugged. "Bah, so what? I prefer to do it my way," he said. Then something bonked his head… Felix caught it in his hand; it was a pebble.

Suharu-sensei landed beside him, making "tsk"-ing noises. "Felix, Felix, Felix," she said, repeating his name, "You can't ignore orders. I told you to practise blocking with one hand. Now, why haven't you done that?"

Felix grumbled. "I already know how, that's why," he answered sharply.

"Really?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"Then…" She swooped under him and flung him over her shoulder. Felix landed hard on his back. "You didn't know how to defend that, did you?" she teased.

Felix groaned. "That wasn't… fair! I didn't see you coming!" he yelled.

Suharu-sensei waved her finger. "That's to teach you a lesson, boy. Now, get back to practising what I taught you. I want to see how well you do it," she said. Then to Isaac, "You're doing good, kid. Keep it up."

Isaac nodded, grinning at Felix who stood back up. Felix's face was red with anger.

"Alright class," Suharu-sensei called out, gathering the children's attention, "We're going to start on dodging manoeuvres-"

She was cut off by the sound of the shrine bells. "Oh. Looks like it's lunch time. Meet back at the training grounds in one hour. _Don't _be late!" she told the children, who scurried back home.

Jenna and Garet met up with Felix and Isaac. Jenna and Garet were sparring partners, and it looked like Garet had a rough time. He didn't know how to fight against a girl.

"Let's race back. Whoever's last to the gates is a rotten egg!" Jenna challenged the boys as she took a head start.


	4. One Hectic Day

A/N: Hello! Anonymous reviewers are now welcome! ( I didn't know I had that filter thingie turned on. Sorry!) So you don't have to sign in anymore to review. Thanks, larrykoopa, for telling me that. Oh, I might have something like the Chuunin Exam from Naruto later on. That's a big MIGHT. I still need to get this one part I like so much out of my head! And as for the other GS characters, they MIGHT be in it too. So enjoy this chapter! 

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Chapter 4: One Hectic Day

Once Jenna burst through the doors of her home, she was quickly picked up by a pair of strong arms. It was her father!

"Well, well! Look how big you gotten ever since daddy left!" her father said, as she giggled with delight.

"Daddy!" she squealed. 

"Dad!" Felix cried, running to his side. His father grinned and messed up his hair. "Hey! Not the hair!" Felix protested.

"Wow, son, you've gotten bigger! And look at your hair! I'm going to give you a haircut after school," his father said. 

Felix violently shook his head. "What?! No! I like my hair the way it is!" he said. 

His father smirked. "You should really trim your hair. It's getting too long…" he trailed off as he saw Isaac standing in the doorway, looking sullenly at his feet. "Isaac!" he said, surprised. "I didn't know you were here! Come in. Come in!" He waved his hand.

Isaac timidly did so and gently closed the door behind him. Felix's father smiled warmly at the little boy. "My! You've grown a lot too since I last saw you!" he said, patting the boy's head. Isaac smiled brightly back at his remark. "So how's your father?" he asked.

Isaac shrugged. "He's okay… He has been busy a lot…" he said, quietly. 

Felix's father gently nodded. "Ahh. Your dad's a busy man. I can't blame him. He's one of the best defences this village has. Heh, I'll go visit him later today," he told the boy.

Isaac nodded, blushing slightly from his shyness. Just then, Shina came into the room. "Lunch time, kids. Everyone to the kitchen!" she sang.

Everyone filed to the kitchen except Felix's father who was blocked by her wife. "Except for you, you filthy thing. Change out of those grubby old clothes and take a bath!" she said, pointing a finger at him.

"Shina…Don't make me do this…" he warned, glaring at her with his dark brown eyes.

"Doooo what?" she said calmly, placing both her hands on her hips.

He cracked his knuckles and grinned. "This…" He grabbed her waist and lifted her over his shoulder, as she pounded away on his back. 

"Put me down, you dirty man!" she giggled. He carried her into the kitchen where all the children watched them struggle. "Riko! Put me down!"

Her husband laughed as she continued to struggle out of his firm grasp. She kicked him repeatedly until she kicked too hard in one particular spot…

"OH!" he gasped. He slowly slumped forward, letting Shina go.

"Oh no!" she cried, "Oh… I'm so sorry, Riko! I didn't mean to hit that part…" She laughed nervously as the children watched them in amusement. They giggled at their little feud while slurping up their noodles and drinking their tea.

"Oh, Shina. You _didn't _ have to kick me _there_!" he groaned, laughing along the way as his wife helped him up.

"Hee hee… Whoops! I guess I didn't know my own strength," she teased as she half-dragged half-carried him out of the kitchen. "Kids! Continue eating! We'll be right back!" she called out into the kitchen.

Felix couldn't help but burst out laughing at his father's silly behaviour. He had been gone on a mission for five days and finally, he was home. Felix was so glad about that. He missed his father so much for the last five days. Home was never home without him because of his constant quarrels with his wife. Jenna and Felix always watched them playfully beat each other up when they wanted one thing or another.

Jenna giggled as well when her parents both left. "Mommy always beats daddy," she said. She sipped her hot tea and bit on a cookie. 

Isaac smiled at their parents odd behaviour. His mother and father didn't show that kind of passion whenever they were together. They were more of a "romantic" couple. His father always was a careless guy around women, he would somehow trip over himself whenever he was with mother. Mother was a strict but sweet person, always telling father what to do. But she cared for him in a way that her actions meant something else that only his father could decipher. 

Once lunch was finished, both parents entered the room. "Ah, you kids finished. Are you ready to go back to school?" Shina asked as she poured hot water on her dry noodles.

Felix shrugged. "Maybe. We still have half an hour left, so we might," he said as he grabbed his sandals and put them on.

Riko gave them a warm smile. "Don't run or you'll throw up! I'll pick you kids up after school, okay?" he said. 

They all nodded and left. "Why did he say we'll throw up if we run?" Isaac asked.

Felix shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe because you jump a lot, making your food come back out of your mouth," he said.

Jenna made a disgusted face. Isaac shrugged. "Hmph. Well, let's go meet Garet. Let's race!" he challenged.

Felix smirked. "Fine," he said. He took off first before the others had a chance to. Isaac quickly followed. 

"Hey! Wait up!" Jenna called, following quickly behind.

Garet's home was on top of the highest hill, right beside Mt. Aleph. They sped along the roads and over the rooftops at their quickest pace; ignoring Riko's advice.

First to touch the house was Felix as he chose the high route; bounding on the rooftops. "I win!" he cried out below him. He grinned at his lower rival and little sister. 

Jenna growled. "That… That wasn't fair!" she yelled. 

Felix hopped to the ground. "Bah. You always say that," he said, brushing back his hair.

Garet emerged from his household and waved when he saw his friends. "Oi! Want some chocolate?" he called to them. 

"Chocolate?!" Jenna squealed happily. "Sure!" She bounded up the porch stairs and went inside the house with the redhead. 

Jenna was overwhelmed by the wondrous smells of cooking and baking in the house. Isaac and Felix were right behind her as she followed Garet through the hallway, towards his large kitchen. His family was the wealthiest in the village. Garet's grandfather used to be a merchant spy. He would disguise himself in different villages as a merchant, selling silk, jewels, and other goods. He made such a fortune. Fancy drapes, carpets, and furniture decorated the entire household. Many other luxurious items such as vases, paintings, and statues were neatly placed throughout every room.

Garet grabbed a red box off the kitchen table and headed to the living room where his now-home sister and mother were chatting with each other. Once they saw the children they smiled heartily and welcomed them.

"Aww, little Garet's friends! So how are you all?" Garet's older sister asked.

Garet frowned. "I'm not little!" he cried.

"We're fine…" the others said, quietly.

Garet's sister untied her braided red hair, letting it fall over her shoulders. Her bright red eyes shone with glee. "That's good to hear. Little Garet is little, right mom?" she teased.

Her mother stroked her swollen belly and smiled. "Garet won't be the little one anymore soon," she said as she patted Garet's head. 

Garet grinned. "That's right, Kaylina. So stop teasing me!" he said happily. He opened the red box. It was full of deliciously sweet-looking chocolate truffles. He gave everyone in the room one, then closed it again.

"I can't wait till my little brother or sister is born!" he told his friends.

A little brother was what he _really_ wanted. He already had a sister and one's enough, with the constant teasing Kaylina did whenever she was home. A little brother would be fun to have; he would look after him and play with him all the time.

The chocolate truffles filled their mouths with a sweet heavenly taste. Jenna loved chocolate. She would always come over to Garet's to get some since her mother despised really sweet things in the house. "They'll rot your teeth!" her mother would always say. But Jenna didn't care. She loved it no matter what and her mother never knew she had some.

"You better hurry, school will be starting soon," said Garet's mother as she picked up her knitting needles.

"Okay! Bye-bye mommy!" Garet said, hugging her and rubbing his hand over her belly. "I hope he doesn't come out when I'm gone."

His mother laughed. "Don't worry about it, Garet. I'm sure he or she will decide to come out when you're home," she smiled.

Garet smiled back and said goodbye to her and Kaylina. Then he led his friends back outside, with a few minutes to spare. "Let's go!" he said. He took the lead, racing towards the training grounds.

"Now, time for dodging manoeuvres," said Ida Suharu-sensei. She tied her glowing blonde hair behind her and grinned. "Then we'll start on counter attacking. Let's go back to that training area we were at this morning."

Back at the grassy area, the children sparred once more with a partner. This time Jenna was with Isaac and Felix with Garet.

Isaac punched high, missing as Jenna swooped under and swept his legs from under him. He fell backwards on his behind. Isaac back-flipped up, charged and right-kicked low. Jenna rolled to the side avoiding it in the last second. Then Isaac kicked again. This time she had to block with both hands. Then she grabbed his leg and spun him to the ground. She cheered for victory.

"V!" she said, making a "v" sign with her fingers. 

Isaac scratched his head. "Phew. You're good, Jenna. It's my turn now!" he said, dusting off grass and dirt.

Jenna smirked. "Alright. Here I come!"

She charged head on. But before she was close enough to attack, she sharply turned right, throwing Isaac off hand. Then she attacked his left with a flying kick.

Seeing the oncoming attack, Isaac managed to swung his arms up in defence. Jenna's attack forced him to fall backwards, but he reacted quickly by twisting his body forward to land on both hands and using the momentum to flip head-over-heels and back up. Jenna charged again, sharply turning left this time, then swung a back kick at Isaac's right side. 

Isaac jumped straight up, back-flipped in the air, and kicked Jenna squarely on her back, knocking her down. Isaac didn't have enough time to prepare a landing so he landed hard on his back. Tears of pain burned his eyes, slightly blurring his vision. But he got up quickly, ready for another attack. But Jenna was still on the ground. Fear rose inside of him…

"Oh no! Jenna, you okay?!" he cried out for his fallen friend. He knelt down beside her.

"Owwie…" she groaned. Then she flushed red and climbed back up. "_Isaac!_" she growled in a threatening tone. "You big meanie! I-"

"Wow. That was spectacular!"

Suharu-sensei clapped her hands for them both. "You two are handling this pretty well," she smiled. "Jenna, your plan for confusing the enemy is really brilliant, keep it up! And Isaac, keep working on your body movements; your mind must act quick to judge your actions. You keep charging in, think of a better way to approach." 

Then she left to watch Felix and Garet combat each other.

Felix rolled to his left, sweep-kicked, trying to knock Garet's legs from under him, but Garet jumped up, totally missing the attack. Garet landed quickly and back-flipped away from Felix. The dark haired boy smirked, brushed his hair back, then charged. He punched with his right but Garet grabbed his arm, then he used his left but the redhead grabbed that one too. Garet then bent over and flipped Felix over his shoulder and into the hard ground.

"Bravo!" his sensei applauded. "That was a wonderful manoeuvre, Garet. Great job, Felix. You still need to practise what _I_ taught you this morning."

Felix coughed, then he grunted. "But sensei… I already know how! *cough* I fight my own way!" he retorted.

Suharu-sensei picked up a pebble and pelted him on the head with it. "You fight my way first, young man! I don't care if you know how, I want to see it! Now, get to it!"

Felix rubbed his temple and glared at his sensei who stared hard back at him. "_Alright_, then!" he growled. Then to Garet, "Come at me, Garet!"

Garet nodded and ran forward, gaining speed as he got closer. He threw a quick punch at Felix's face, but Felix caught it firmly in his left palm and then he palmed Garet's chest, making the redhead fly backwards. Garet landed on his back, but he sprang back up.

"Ha!" Felix yelled. "Did you see that?! I did it! Now don't go telling me what to-" 

Another pebble bonked his head. "Tsk, tsk. I'm your sensei, _little man_. Now, you have to listen to what I say, or else I'll tell your parents," Suharu-sensei warned.

Felix crossed his arms, "So what? What are they going to do?" 

Suharu-sensei smirked. "They could take you out of my class… No wait, even better! I won't let you pass!"

Wide-eyed, Felix gaped at her with shock. "Y-You can't do that!" he cried.

His sensei pretended to examine her nails. "Oooh. I could, you know. I'm your teacher, and you're not listening to what I say…" she grinned.

Felix grumbled. "T-That's…!" 

"No fair?" she asked, raising a brow. "Oh, it's fair. I run this class after all. And _I _ can do _whatever_ _I want_!"

Felix fumed with anger. He then let it slide as he took a few deep breaths. "Bah! Fine! I'll listen! _Sensei_!" he mumbled.

Another pebble pelted his head. "Call me Suaharu-sensei, little man," she corrected him.

Felix pouted. "Grr… Fine. _Suharu-sensei_!"

She smirked at him. "Much better, boy. Obedience is the key to being a ninja." The shrine bells began to ring, indicating it was mid-afternoon; the end of a school day. "Whoops. I should keep myself in track of time. Everyone! Back to the training grounds! You're dismissed there!"

All the children scurried back to the base of the mountain where their parents waited for them. Isaac was following Garet and Jenna towards their father when someone called his name.

"Isaac! Over here!"

Isaac turned and saw his father walking into the training grounds, smiling. Isaac's spirit rose as he sprinted towards his father. "Dad!" he called. "What are you doing here? You're suppose to be sleeping."

His father grinned. "What? And miss out on my son's first day of school? Of course not! Well, except the morning, but that's different. So, how was it?" he asked.

Isaac smiled. "It was fun. And painful. But fun!" he said happily. 

Kyle nodded and picked him up. "Ah, that's good to hear. Tell me all about it as I prepare supper. I'm going to make something special."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Is it that brown stuff you made a last week?" he asked.

Kyle flushed with embarrassment. "Ha ha! No, no. This time it really is going to _be_ a special supper. You'll see."

Isaac giggled. He waved goodbye to his friends as his father carried him home.

A/N: Heh. I got really into my story that I sketched out some of the characters. Does anyone want to see? If you do, then leave your e-mail and I'll send you a pic of the kids I drew. Try to guess who's who!


	5. Wait and See

A/N: Hello! I got finals this week, then graduation on Monday! Whoo-hoo! So it'll be a little while to update. 

And I'm really, really, really sorry, Ultimate Adept…. I couldn't send you my picture because hotmail says your email, markritchie@aol.com, didn't exist. Is it the right spelling? I'm really sorry… 

Oh, and if anyone else wants to see my drawing of the kids in this story, leave your email. Thanks, and enjoy!

****

Chapter 5: Wait and See

On the second day of training, the children learned the proper attacking stance, different ways to punch, kick, block, and counter a variety of techniques. It was a painful day as Felix and Isaac got very aggressive with each other. On day three, they finally got a chance to get their hands on some weapons as it was time to train the eyes. Shurikens were thrown at the target area, deep within the woods of the training grounds. The four-point throwing star was more difficult to throw than the children expected. They accidentally cut their hands a few times, but they mastered handling the star after the day was over. But they still needed practise throwing it. 

On day four, they continued honing their aiming skills back at the target range with their bandaged hands. When it was evening, Isaac got terribly worried. His mother was still not home…

"Where can she be?" he asked his friends with the feeling of dread growing within him.

After supper, the four kids decided to play around Garet's home. They were all around the stone steps of his porch. Isaac sighed and slumped forward, sitting on a step.

Jenna stroked his arm in a calming way. "She'll be home soon. You shouldn't worry too much," she assured him with a warm smile.

"Yeah!" Garet agreed, "Your mom's going to be home in no time. Just wait and see!"

"Don't worry about it," Felix said meekly. 

Isaac could feel some of his worries lift upon hearing his friend's reassuring support. "Thanks… I hope she comes home tonight…" he said quietly.

Even his father said the same things to him that afternoon. "Don't worry too much. I know she'll be home soon… as always!" his father said.

It has been over a week since his mother left. They said it would take them about a week to get their job done. _Is she lost?_ Isaac thought. He furrowed his brow then shook his head. His mother never had gotten lost in the forests of Vale. Never. She was an expert; she knew every detail in the forests since she's been in and out of it many times. 

Isaac sighed once more. He missed her. He missed Satoshi too, his big brother. Isaac felt jealous of his friends; they had family to go to anytime of the day, while he did not. As well, Garet was expecting another sibling in his family soon. Isaac so badly wanted a little brother or sister to keep an eye on. Much like Felix. Satoshi was the best older brother he ever had, but he too was always away with his mother.

Garet opened the red chocolate box and offered everyone a piece. Jenna, of course, accepted the treat with joy, Felix ate it with a smile, Isaac waved his away. "I don't want any," he said. 

"It'll make you feel better," said Garet as he stuffed a truffle into his mouth. 

Jenna nodded in agreement. "How can you _not_ want chocolate?" she asked as she grabbed another one from the box.

"Not hungry," Isaac replied. 

Everyone fell silent. Then Felix snorted in disgust. "I hate our sensei, she keeps throwing things at me!" he growled.

Jenna giggled. "That's because you keep fooling around," she said as she took a third truffle.

Garet closed the box after that. Felix pouted. "No I don't! I fight whenever she tells us to!" he said.

Garet shook his head. "You fight, but not the way she tells you to," he chuckled. 

The dark-haired boy stuck out his tongue at him. "That stupid sensei - Ow!" 

A small pebble bounced off his head and landed on the ground. Someone was making tsking noises from above them.

"Oh no…" Felix mumbled, rubbing his head. He didn't want to believe who was there.

"Felix, Felix, Felix. You still disrespect me even out of school. Have you no shame?" Suharu-sensei asked him firmly. She sat high on the roof above their heads, grinning and tossing pebbles in her hand into the air and catching them once more. "I think I'll be keeping a bag full of these from now on, how about that?" she asked them, but they knew she was directing the question to someone in particular.

Felix's brow began to twitch as he forced a smile for his sensei. "You don't need to do that, sen - err, _Suharu-sensei_. I won't disobey you anymore," he said.

Suharu-sensei grinned at him. "You won't, you say? Well, we'll see about that tomorrow. I'm going to bring rocks instead, so beware!" 

"Hmph!" Felix muttered.

"Suharu-sensei, what are you doing here?" Garet asked. 

She cocked her head and shrugged. "I was on my way home until I heard someone say something about me. Eh, Felix?" she raised her eyebrow at him.

Felix crossed his arms and looked away. 

"See you all tomorrow. We'll still be target practising with shurikens again. You all seem to cut yourselves a lot with those," she said. Then she disappeared in a gust of wind as she leapt away in incredible speed. To the untrained eye, people wouldn't be able to see her leave, but the children's pre-training for school had fine-tuned their skills.

They were excellent fighters, but not strong enough in strength or will to take out a full grown man. As well, they still had lots of techniques to learn in order to become a real ninja.

"Grr… I hate her," Felix growled. He covered his head, expecting another pebble to hit him, but none came. Relieved, he let out all his feelings out, "She's so mean! Gaaahh!" He stomped the ground, making dust fly around him.

Jenna sighed. "I think she's nice," she told her stubborn brother.

"Hmph! I think she just picks on me for the fun of it," he growled.

"No, no. You have it wrong there, young man," came a tired voice from behind them.

Garet's grandfather stood at the top of the steps, chuckling softly. "Suharu never picks on a child because she wants to. She just wants you to behave," he told Felix.

Felix crossed his arms and frowned at the old man. The wise, white-bearded man smiled. "Suharu is teaching you. In order to be a successful Ninja, you must follow orders or else you could jeopardize the entire mission for you and your team mates. Obeying is one of the keys of being a Ninja," he explained.

Felix "hmphed" again. "Bah… That's not how I am, though."

The old man laughed. "Then you must train yourself to be. I know everyone can't be obedient when they are a child, but discipline changes all that. You'll understand when your team mates rely on you in a critical situation. That happened many times to me…" he trailed off, thinking back at his youth.

"Grandpa, since you're here, why not tell us a story?" Garet suggested, happily awaiting for his grandfather's response.

His grandfather smiled and nodded. "Sure, why not?" He sat beside Isaac and cleared his throat.

Garet cheered and sat on the other side of him. "What story should I talk about?" his grandfather asked them.

Jenna sat on a lower step and suggested, "The tale of the Phoenix! Ever since Garet mentioned it, I wanted to know more. May you please tell?"

"Alright then," the old man replied. "This story takes back over a hundred years ago, during the Battle of Fire. It was the most bloodiest battle in the history of Vale. My father and grandfather were in that battle, but unfortunately, my grandfather was killed. 

One day, an army known as the Fire Clan; samurais dressed solely in black and red, burned down our gates and invaded our village in search for the Elemental Stars. They took no mercy as they quickly took out our defences. All the Shinobi, Kuuyin, Genyin, and even some brave Kiruyin, tried to defend the Stars the best they could. 

We were horribly outnumbered, however. Hundreds of men, women, even children, were killed by the Fire Clan's massive army. We were almost defeated, until the Wise One had no choice but to summon a powerful creature; the Phoenix . The majestic bird was sealed by the Wise One's predecessor. My father was protecting him as he performed the seal to unleash the mythical bird on top the shrine tower. 

Time soon began to run out as the Fire Clan charged towards our shrine. The remaining guards who were still around were easily defeated by the oncoming army. Father began to face his inevitable end as he charged blindly at them, ready to sacrifice his life to save more time for the Wise One. 

But just as he was about to attack, a bright flash erupted the sky, stopping everyone in their tracks. High above them, an ear-shattering cry erupted the sky as giant rings of flame burst out of the scroll, forming a flaming body of a bird; the Phoenix! It's flaming wings covered the entire sky, marking it red and glowing with it's fiery essence. Fierce, red eyes pierced through any soul who met it's gaze.

The Wise One commanded the great beast to attack the entire Fire Clan. And so, the great Phoenix humbly obeyed it's command and unleashed it's fury upon the dark samurai. 

The great-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Yukizuha-sama, but it's bedtime for the kids."

Garet's grandfather was startled. "Oh my! Look at the time. The moon has already began to rise," he said.

Jenna was disappointed by her father's interruption. She moaned, "But Dad! I want to hear the ending!" 

Riko waved his finger and shook his head. "Sorry Jenna, but your mother's very strict, as always. Don't tell her I said that… So anyway, you can listen to it tomorrow. Right, Yukizuha-sama?"

Garet's grandfather chuckled briefly. "Why of course," he said. "They are welcomed to come back tomorrow. You all have a busy day tomorrow so you should all get some rest. That means you too, Garet."

Garet frowned slightly but he nodded his head. 

"Now come on Jenna, Felix, Isaac. It's time to go home. And Jenna, we really should change those bandages, they're covered in chocolate," her father said as he picked her up. 

"Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" said Garet as he followed his grandfather inside.

The others waved and left for home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Get your ass in gear everyone, it's time to go," Dora ordered her resting team. Dirty, exhausted, and hungry, they got up to trek through the deep forest, heading home. 

In her hand, she held tightly to the golden, metal Kuuyin head pieces that once belonged to two of the finest ninjas who had ever fought with her. _They will always be remembered for their bravery and strength they showed to all of us._

Her team cremated their bodies. It was the ninja's way to set their souls free from the body's entrapment and to lead their souls to heaven as they follow the trail of the smoke to the sky.

It's been more than a week since they left Vale. But they were almost home. One more day would be the time they should be home. _Just one more day. Don't worry too much about me, Kyle. Isaac. I'll be home soon._

Everyone grabbed their weapons, strapped on their equipment, and some carried the fangs of their fallen foes as a trophy for their victory. "Careful with those, they can still have poison in them," Dora warned. 

Solien Yamaka, a veteran Kuuyin just like her, grinned sheepishly. "You don't have to worry too much, Hidekeru. Satoshi here can heal us if we _do_ get poisoned. Right, boy?" he said, patting Satoshi hard on the back.

Satoshi blushed slightly. "Y-Yeah," he answered.

"Nonsense," Dora said, slightly angry. "Yime's as tired as all of us. It's not his duty to watch over your stupidity. So, don't say I didn't warn you about the poison. I'll make sure Satoshi ignores you totally."

Yamaka scratched his chin. He gave her a sad look. "That's pretty harsh… So you're going to let me die slowly in pain just because I was so ignorant that I accidentally poked myself with a fang that, unluckily for me, still had venom inside?" he perked, raising a brow.

Dora gave him a crooked grin, "Nah, I'm just joking. Of course I won't leave you behind. I'll probably comment on how stupid you were with handling that thing."

Yamaka opened his mouth to say something but Elli interrupted with a shout.

"Hidekeru! Come, look at this!" she called from the bushes.

Immediately, Dora went to her side. In Elli's hand, she held a jagged knife. A seven-inch blade with a black handle. Engraved on the silver knife was a symbol of fire.

"I found it lying here," Elli indicated with her hand. "It's certainly not a ninja knife. Do you suppose…?"

"It's a samurai's knife… That means…!" she gasped. 

Everyone began to worry. "The Fire Clan… They must've been here!" she cried. "And look, there's a light trail in the tall grass…"

"That means they're heading towards the village!" Yamaka said, clenching his fists. 

Dora nodded. "Yes… We must hurry! If we must warn everyone before they get there first!"

She sprinted with every ounce of energy she had, straight towards Vale. She ignored the burning cries of her exhausted muscles. _No time… There's no time! _ she thought angrily. Already she was out of breath, but she continued on.

__

I must warn them…

Night had fallen. The white glowing moon slowly rose high above in the dark sky.


	6. Blood and Battle

A/N: Hello! I'm back with a big chapter. Congrats to the one who found out the little secret in the story! Way to go! There's a big twist in this one! So enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Blood and Battle

The cold disturbing wind rustled Kyle's chestnut hair. Dawn had broken through the dark, cloudy sky. The pale moon was deeply hidden above the clouds. The unnerving wind made Kyle restless. He had a eerie feeling that something was going to happen… Something bad. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. 

There was still no sign of Dora and her party. Kyle had hoped that they would be home at least by now. At least, during his watch. He wanted so badly to embrace her once again in his arms. The growing feeling of dread was rising in his chest, wanting him to believe that something had happened to her. 

He shook that feeling. He was tired, that's it… _Just tired,_ he thought. But he didn't believe it. His gut instincts were edgier than before. Every moving shadow, every little sound, made him jump.

"Oi." 

Something tapped his shoulder. Kyle tensed and leapt to the side, throwing a kunai at his attacker. His attacker turned out to be Riko Kyumi who blocked the kunai with his own before it hit him. "Oi! It's only me, Riko!" he breathed. 

"Dah! Gomen, Riko…" Kyle apologized, blushing in embarrassment. " Sheesh! Don't scare me like that again!"

"Hmm. Why are you so jumpy this morning? It's not like a Demon's gonna spring up and decapitate you," said the other man. Riko brushed his hand through his thick, hazel hair. It was his casual gesture for any situation.

Kyle sighed. "Hey, that could happen. You'll never know." He looked out over the gates, "It hasn't been long since that last attack."

"Bah. It was what? A few weeks ago? And it was only a bunch of…" Kyumi scratched his chin in thought. 

"Crows. Big. Black. Crows." Kyle finished for him.

"Yeah, crows. Those mischievous bastards," his friend muttered under his breath. "I can still remember those stupid tricks they played on us."

Kyle nodded. "That was annoying. They kept making replicas of themselves to conceal their real body."

"Tricky, yet smart," Riko muttered.

Silence fell over them as they gazed over the tall wooden gates and into the forest. The unpleasant breeze rustled the trees in a unruly manner, sending shivers to those in it's path.

Sighing, Kyle rested his eyes for a moment. "She'll be back soon." he heard Riko say. He opened his eyes and looked over at his friend's reassuring grin. "She always did."

Kyle couldn't help but smile. Riko was right. Dora came home no matter how tough her missions were. Once she almost died from massive blood loss from a fatal wound to her abdomen. A giant Wolf Demon caught her in surprise with it's raw, yellow fangs. She stayed strong throughout the whole trek back to Vale as her team mates quickly carried her home. That was way before Yime had discovered his special power. That day, Kyle was a afraid to lose her… 

Dora managed a smile when she felt his hand, firmly holding hers as she laid in the hospital bed. She stayed strong through her recovery then. And she always had been.

__

Always… he thought with pride. "Yeah. She always did," he whispered. "Are you gonna stay here all night or are you just visiting 'cause you couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"A little of both… I had a rough time in bed with Shina… Oh, let's forget I said that. Anyway, your boy's a good kid. He's polite, smart, and so obedient, unlike my son. Heh…" Riko said. He brushed his hand through his hair.

Kyle nodded, grinning. "Isaac's a good boy. I only wish I could be with him more often, you know?"

Riko leaned onto the gate ledge. "He really needs a father to look up to, Kyle. You should take tomorrow's night shift off. It would be a good idea. I've seen the sadness on his face many times when I'm around him and my kids…"

"I… I know," Kyle said sadly. _Isaac, I'm sorry…_ "I'll ask Heidachi-sama if I could take a break tomorrow."

"Hey, better yet: Take the whole week off. Isaac would really appreciate that," Riko suggested. 

Kyle rolled his eyes in the dark. "Like that would ever happen. Heidachi-sama would never let anyone take time off for that long."

"You should try."

"Nah."

"Yeah. Do it for yourself, and for Isaac."

"…."

Riko placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "It wouldn't hurt to ask," he said. "Well, I'm going home before Shina bites my head off for being out too late." Then he muttered under his breath as he walked away, "I'm a grown man… I shouldn't be punished for staying out too late."

Kyle watched as the other man left. The peaceful village quietly slept before him. It was his duty to protect the village. He couldn't step away from his job. Never. 

But, Isaac needed him more than the village needing him. Maybe it was a good idea to take the whole week off and spend time with his family. Now would be a perfect time. With Dora and Yime going to be home as well, they would all spend time as a family. A big, happy family.

Kyle couldn't help but smile as he returned to his duty. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask…_

That nagging feeling fell over him as he slowly watched the morning light, brighten up the sky. He was afraid of what this day will bring.

Isaac wolfed down his entire breakfast consisting of hot chicken noodles, milk, and an orange. He was excited for the weekend. Surely, his mother would be home by then and he would be home with her and Yime. He choked on his orange. 

"Slow down, Isaac!" Shina cried, patting the boy's back. "What's the rush? School's going to start in thirty more minutes. You have all the time to eat."

Isaac wiped away his tears and grinned. "I'm excited about the weekend," he answered. He took another bite into his orange slice.

"Ah, the weekend," she said. "That reminds me. Kids, I won't be home tomorrow or the day after."

"What?! Why?" Jenna and Felix both asked, disappointed.

"Well, Mommy's got a job to do. A big, bad group of Wolf Demons have been spotted to the west. So me and my team are going there tomorrow morning," she said. 

"Aww. I'm going to miss you!" Jenna cried. Shina patted her head. 

"Don't worry," she said. "Before you'll know it, I'll be home in no time!" 

After breakfast, they all got ready to leave school. They changed their bandages and wore leather protective gloves this time to handle those sharp shurikens. "I think it'll be harder to throw them with these," Felix muttered, wiggling his fingers. 

"At least we don't have to worry about cutting our hands!" Jenna giggled. 

Her father drowsily waved goodbye as he headed towards the kitchen. Her mother grumbled, "That lazy father of yours. I grounded him for staying up too late."

The children giggled. But their laughter was soon ended by a sharp cry from outside. Then an explosion that shook the house. 

"We're under attack!" someone screamed.

Startled, Jenna screamed, "What was that?!"

Riko came in, fully awake now. "What's going on?!" he cried.

Shina opened the door, shocked to see smoke rising from the gates. She heard cries far off in the same direction and the loud echoing clings and clangs of swords striking each other. There was another explosion, shaking the ground. Behind her, Jenna began to cry. Riko squeezed beside her and saw the commotion. He looked fearfully at her. "An invasion…" he whispered.

They went back inside, closing the door in haste. She ran upstairs with Riko right behind her and grabbed her shurikens, knives, kunais, and sword, and strapped them on. Riko grabbed both his katanas and strapped on his knives diagonally across his chest. Then they both equipped their black leather arm and leg guards.

"Kids, whatever happens, _stay_ in the house. Understand?" she said sternly.

The children nodded. Jenna continued to cry, while Felix and Isaac did their best to comfort her. "What's going on?" Felix asked.

"An attack…" his father answered. "_Don't _leave, understand? We'll be back shortly. Lock the door when we're gone."

Both of his parents left in a rush. Felix slammed the door and locked it. Not wanting to know what might come in. Another explosion, a bigger one this time, knocked him to the ground. Jenna screamed. 

"It's okay, Jenna! Don't… Don't cry…" Isaac whispered, stroking her hair as she sobbed in his arms. "Let's go upstairs, we could see what's happening." 

They all slowly walked upstairs, afraid of another terrifying explosion. Outside, they could hear people yelling, screaming, shouting , and cursing among the havoc. Once upstairs, Isaac peeped out the window, eyes wide, seeing pillars of smoke and flames at the gates. That was where his father was…

He saw people, below, running towards the destruction, weapons ready. What exactly was happening around the gates, he couldn't see. Buildings blocked his view, but he had a feeling of what was happening. Something was attacking. For all he knew, his father was out there fighting whatever it was. Or he could have been caught in one of the explosions…

Isaac had to see for himself. He just had to. "I'm going to look for my father!" he said. He ran downstairs with Jenna calling behind him.

"Don't go! It's dangerous!" she cried. He ignored her as he put on his sandals and unlocked the door. He was suddenly knocked down by Felix who held him down. 

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Felix cried, struggling to restrain his friend.

Isaac twisted and turned, wriggling out of Felix's grasp until he could push him off. "I'm going! I'm going to help father! You guys stay here! I'll go alone!" he screamed.

Felix stood at the door. "You're not leaving. Mom and Dad told us to stay! You can't go!" he yelled angrily.

Jenna stood at the bottom step. "Don't go, Isaac!" she cried, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Isaac snorted. "I'm going no matter what! I'm not gonna let anything happen to father!"

Felix crossed his arms and glowered at his friend. "There's _nothing_ you can do to help him!" he snarled.

"Yes there is!" Isaac retorted angrily. "If father… if father dies, then it'll be my fault for not doing anything!"

"No," Felix said sternly. "It could never be your fault. _What _can you possibly do to help him?!"

"You'll see…" Isaac growled, walking towards him. "Step out of the way, and I'll show you."

Felix shook his head. "No."

"Get outta my _way_!" Isaac cried, throwing a punch at Felix. The dark haired boy didn't expect his friend to attack him, not at a time like this. He stumbled to the side from the impact, rubbing his sore cheek. He glared at his attacker with eyes, stung with tears from pain, and from hurt.

Isaac opened the door and stopped, looking solemnly at his feet. "I'm sorry, Felix." Then he left, slamming the door behind him. 

"Isaac!" Jenna cried. She sobbed once more, running to the door. 

"Jenna! Don't! We have to stay here!" her brother cried, hastily wiping his tears. 

"But, Isaac…" she whispered, choking back sobs.

Felix growled in anger. "Let that fool go! It's not my fault if he gets killed!" He locked the door and slowly slumped to the floor, pounding the wall with his fist. _It won't be my fault. That idiot!… Don't do anything rash, you fool…_

Isaac hid behind a house as adults ran past, towards the main battle. He didn't want to get caught. They'll probably lock him up in a house, away from all of the commotion. If that happened then there was no way he could find his father. 

He peeked around the corner, seeing the last person disappear from sight. Then he hopped on top of a fence and jumped onto the roof. This was a better way to find anyone than roaming the streets. He searched, left and right from his perch, finding no sign of his father. He leapt onto another house then another, until he heard a voices below him.

Two people standing a few meters apart, were facing each other, swords ready. One man was huge. He wore heavy black armour with red designs all over it with a flowing black cloak with a symbol of fire. Everything else he wore was black. A black shawl concealed his face, while his pale purple hair dangled to the side. His blade was massive. It was no ordinary ninja sword at all. It curved like an ordinary blade but it was wider at the end and narrowed down to the handle, much like a scimitar. Isaac realized that he must be one of the invaders.

The other man was his father. He wanted so badly to be at his side, but he knew he would get in the way. So he silently watched them from his perch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyle was almost home to get some sleep right after his shift, until he heard the explosion that shook the whole village.

"We're under attack!" he heard someone yell from the distance. The gates, he saw smoke rise from them. That eerie feeling… He was right about it. 

He rushed back to the gates with all the other ninjas. Another explosion burst the gates into flames. Kyle heard screams of battle ringing in the sky. He continued on. A third explosion shook him to the ground. He climbed to his feet, shaken up. 

All of his allies were long gone towards the main battle. Kyle knew he had to get there. But, then, in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a moving shadow behind a house. He decided to pursue it instead. Whatever attacked could be sneaking it's way in.

He ran, on top of the roofs, following the dark figure who followed the shadows of the back road. A man, cloaked in black. Very likely he was a thief.

Kyle had to stop him. He took out a shuriken and threw it at the unsuspecting foe. The dark figure blocked with a quick swipe of his knife and stopped in his tracks, looking straight up at him.

The piercing red eyes of his foe, sharply glared at him. A samurai of the Fire Clan, Kyle had read about them back in the history books about the Battle of Fire. A battle, where both his grandfather and grandmother had fought and died. This samurai standing before him wore the same black and red armour that symbolized the clan.

The samurai began to laugh in a deep taunting voice that was slightly muffled due to his shawl. Kyle drew out his sword and landed on front of his foe. He glared back. "It ends here," he said in a low, threatening tone.

The man laughed once more. "A pathetic ninja like you is going to stop _me_? Do you know _who_ I am?" he snarled with much venom to every word.

Kyle smirked. "It doesn't matter. You're just a thief, aiming for the Elemental Stars. Am I correct?"

The man laughed. "Stupid fool. I am the strongest of my clan! You are right about the Stars, but as well, I am here to get revenge for what your pathetic ancestors did to me one hundred years ago."

Kyle raised a brow. "Hoh? You mean you survived that battle?"

"Ha ha ha ha! I survived all right," the man scowled. "And I'm back to repay for what your pathetic kind had done to us that day. I'll avenge all my brethren lost in that battle!" He grabbed his samurai blade hidden under his dark cloak. The blade was gigantic, it was the same length as a fully grown man.

"Feel my wrath, pathetic ninja!" he roared, rushing forward, sword ready at his side. 

Kyle threw two shurikens at him, but he blocked easily with his massive blade. The man swung his sword, nearly hitting Kyle who leaped up and over his foe, landing right behind him. Kyle spun and swung around quickly with his own blade but it clashed into his foe's knife he still held. The man swung with his other arm, bringing the sword down on him. 

Kyle brought up his sword to block it. Sparks flew when both blades grinded against each other with great force. The man was too strong. Kyle's thin blade cracked under the force of his enemy's blow, nearly knocking Kyle to the ground who grunted at his foe's strength.

"Dad!"

Both fighters looked above and saw a small boy, watching them with frightful blue eyes. Kyle's eyes widened with fear. "Isaac! Get out of here!" he cried. His foe took the opportunity to kick him away. 

"Dad!" Isaac cried out once again.

Kyle landed hard on his back, but he got up quickly in time to see the man throw a knife straight for Isaac! "Isaac!" he screamed, throwing a shuriken at the knife. 

Both projectiles collided in the air before hitting Isaac, redirecting their route. The knife landed beside Isaac who stumbled back in shock. Relieved, Kyle let his guard down…

The man threw his knife at him. Kyle blocked too late as the blade nicked his left side. The dark man laughed. "A weakness…" he grunted, amused. "I'll kill that kid first!" He leapt high into the air, landing on the roof before the frightened boy, grinning as he brought his blade upon him. But he was diverted by the kunais flying at him. He jumped out of way.

Kyle cursed when he missed. He landed in front of Isaac, glaring with menace at his foe for trying to hurt his son. "Isaac, go home," he growled, keeping his eye on his opponent.

"Dad…" Isaac whispered. 

"Go _home_!" he snapped. He heard Isaac clamber up and shuffle away.

"Not so fast!" the man called out as he leapt into the air, and threw a knife right at Isaac who was unaware.

"Isaac!" Kyle yelled as he dropped his sword and ran towards his son. He summoned the Wind Element to increase his speed, as he leapt into Isaac, shielding his son. 

He felt the knife pierce into his back as he and Isaac both fell over the edge, straight towards the grass-covered ground. He landed on both his feet, carrying Isaac in his arms. Pain surged through his entire body. 

He coughed, tasting the blood dripping down his chin. Isaac turned around and gasped, tears in his frightened eyes. "Dad, I'm sorry!" he sobbed. 

"I-Isaac, run! Get out of here! I'll hold him off!" Kyle told him.

His son nodded, then his eyes widened, "Dad! Look out!"

Kyle didn't hesitate as he dodged to the side, still carrying Isaac, to avoid another knife. The samurai laughed, drawing the rest of his knives.

Kyle cringed in both pain and fear, tightly holding his trembling son in his arms. "Isaac," he whispered, "Run as far away from here as possible and hide." He coughed once again, blood droplets staining his son's hair. He released his tight hold on Isaac, "Go!" He spun around, reaching into his pouch and pulling out his last shuriken, and threw it at the samurai who blocked with one of his knives.

He turned back to see Isaac still standing around a few feet away, watching him, too frightened to move. "RUN!" he shouted. 

Isaac took a step back, then turned to run. 

But the samurai didn't allow it. "You're not going anywhere!" he roared.

Two knives flew straight at Isaac who stood frozen in place, unable to move.

Kyle jumped just in time to intercept them with his own body. Gasping as they impaled deep into his back… Kyle fell forward, reaching out his son. "Run…" he choked, blood filling his mouth.

Isaac didn't budge.

Kyle's vision blurred from his very own tears, realizing that his son might not survive. "Run…" he whispered. He saw nothing but total darkness as he finally hit the ground.

The gloomy grey sky began to cry. Blood and rain stained the grass a bright red around his father's motionless body. Isaac stood, frozen in place, too afraid and too shocked to move. _Run!_ his father's voice rang in his ears, but his legs wouldn't budge . He watched, instead, as the blood flowed freely onto the grass. 

__

No… He slowly shook his head in disbelief. Hot tears, stinging his eyes, blurring the sight of his father. He choked back a sob. He didn't want to cry. 

A menacing laugh broke through the silence that had fell over them. "Looks like I'm out of knives," the man, no, the murderer, had said. 

Anger and rage overwhelmed Isaac's thoughts. Jaw and fists, tightly clenched, as he continued to watch his father's body. He hated. He hated everything; the rain, the laughter, the blood. He wanted to kill. To kill the murderer. To grab a knife and slit his throat. To feel the blood on his own hands.

"Well, I guess I was wrong when I said I'll kill you first," he black murderer spoke, landing with a thump, a few feet away from his father's body. Isaac couldn't see his face, but he saw his feet. Those big black boots, stepping on blood.

__

Kill him…

Destroy him…

Show him no mercy… That murderer!

Avenge your father…

Isaac cringed at every step the man took towards him. _Kill him!_

Isaac shook all over, wanting to taste the blood of that murderer. Wanting to kill him, with his own hands. Rage and anger took over him, as everything he saw, became red as the blood.

Agatio laughed at his opponent foolishly jumped into his knives. _Pathetic human_, he smirked. Now all he had to deal with was that boy. The little brat who didn't follow his daddy's orders. 

"Well, I guess I was wrong when I said I'll kill you first," he told the shivering kid. Agatio enjoyed toying with his opponents. The fun he gets when he torments his foes was amusing.

He laughed again, seeing the boy before him, frozen in fear as the rain continued to pour. He grinned. By now, his troops should be through the front gates and charging in on the helpless village. Until they come, he'll just have some fun.

He took out his sword, the Dragon Blade. Slowly he took one step after another towards the boy and the fallen corpse of his former foe.

But he soon stopped as he felt a tremendous, growing power flow from the kid. Swirls of pure energy became visible, as the boy's power increased. Psynergy… Agatio had noticed. The energy he was feeling was Psynergy. 

"I-Impossible…" he croaked, frozen in awe and surprise. He could see the rage the boy was filled with as each passing second formed more pure, pale red Psynergy. The energy was like a breeze as streaks flowed passed him, catching his hair. 

He took a step back, then shook his head. He couldn't believe this! He was afraid of a little kid! He roared and charged at the boy.

The boy looked up, stopping him dead in his tracks. The once blue eyes were now a fearsome red, glaring back at him. Dangerous eyes. And burning on his forehead was an ancient symbol Agatio had seen before, but… he couldn't remember. 

__

H-How…! What's going on?! he gasped. The boy smirked and charged, too fast for him to see. The boy slashed, blinding his left eye. "Aargh!" he bellowed, cupping his wound. He glared at the boy with his good eye, seeing him holding one of his knives from the dead body. 

Agatio hissed as the kid jumped to strike again. This time, Agatio reached up just in time to grab the puny neck of his foe. The kid drove the knife deep into his arm, but he ignored it. He wanted revenge for the damage done to his face. He tightened his hold, squeezing every breath out of kid's puny body. The boy's Psynergy faded, as did the ancient symbol as the boy gagged and feebly clawed at Agatio's large hand. Each attempt growing weaker and weaker, until finally, the boy stopped. He was nothing more but a limp, lifeless body. 


	7. Sense of Power

A/N: I'm back already! WOW! I've never updated so fast! Hee hee. I'm evil aren't I? Here's another plot twisting chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 7: Sense of Power

The Wise One stood on top of the shrine tower, tightly grasping the scroll of the Ancient Dragon. He knew this day would come; the day the Fire Clan would once again attack the village of Vale to obtain the powerful Elemental Stars. History repeats itself as the villagers were horribly overpowered by the samurai's more advanced weapons and their powerful Psynergy spells.

Kallis Heidachi watched as the gates of Vale burned with orange flames and black smoke. The Fire Clan army were like a black plague running through the streets, consuming innocents in it's path towards the shrine. Bodies lay everywhere. Hundreds of them, both ninja and samurai, lying in the streets as battles emerged from left and right around the massive army. His men stood no chance against them.

__

It is time… 

He could no longer watch as each of his fellow ninjas were easily slaughtered by the blood-thirsty samurais. Closing his eyes in deep concentration, he clasped his hands together, holding the scroll between both thumbs and both index fingers. Rapidly moving the fingers and hands to form symbols in a particular order, he performed a summoning seal.

Summoning a creature as powerful as the Ancient Dragon drains a large sum of Psynergy out of the user. Deep concentration is needed to call forth such energy to unlock the magic barrier that contained the great beast within the scroll. As well, in order to control the beast, the user must transfer some of his Psynergy to the creature to gain command.

Once summoning is complete, the user must then create a protective barrier around himself and around the villagers. Usually another person standing by would perform the duty, but Kallis stood alone. He would have to do all those steps in order to protect himself and the villagers from the Ancient Dragon's onslaught.

Ignoring the noises ringing down below, he quietly chanted the words written on the scroll he had memorized ever since he sealed the dragon with his very own hands. Since that day, he had grown attached to the scroll, like a very old friend. There was no other choice but to use it now, as the enemy advanced through the devastated gates and onto the streets leading to the shrine, and behind it, Mt. Aleph. 

__

Goodbye, old friend. He made the last seal, but stopped suddenly, midway through. His eyes snapped open when he felt an immense amount of Psynergy coming from somewhere in the village. It couldn't possibly be coming from anyone ninja or samurai, the power was too great. No single person can summon so much Psynergy, only creatures or Demons could ever come close. Or maybe not. The power was gradually growing, stronger and stronger with each passing second. It felt like a First-Level summon creature, second to the Legendary Beasts. No one was given permission to carry any of the scrolls without Kallis knowing.

Kallis averted his eyes down below to find the creature summoned, but saw none. The dragon's scroll in his hand suddenly glowed with a golden aura, as if the Ancient Dragon was corresponding with the power itself. But in an instant, the great power faded away, leaving no trace of it. Then the golden aura faded as well. Kallis cursed, realizing the summon had failed. Quickly, he performed the seal once again to unleash the Ancient Dragon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yime followed closely behind Dora, exhausted and out of breath for they all ran non-stop for over a day. His muscles screamed for him to stop, but he ignored it the best he could. Trouble was brewing in Vale and he had to get back home, or else…

He shook his head. He was pretty sure the villagers were holding up okay. Pretty sure…

An explosion sounded off in the distance, alerting everyone's attention. Black smoke rose in the sky, coming from Vale!

"We're too late!" Yamaka cried from behind. 

"Keep going!" Dora panted, exhausted.

They continued on, hearing two more explosions following the first. Yime bit his lower lip, dreading for what will be left for Vale.

The gates, or what's left of them, were in their sight. An army, clad in black and red, were charging through the fallen, burning gates as ninjas from above shot crossbows and threw shurikens at the invaders. Both armies from both sides clashed together in an onslaught battle at the front gates.

Dora watched fearfully, waiting for the rest of her team to catch up. "Here's the plan," she began, "I'm going inside. All of you can help the front lines. Got that?"

"Hidekeru-sama, I'm going with you!" Yime cried.

Dora nodded, "Fine, but you'd have to watch your back. We're sneaking through the side gates."

Solien Yamaka grinned. "I'm coming with you too," he said. "Someone's got to cover your backs."

"Alright then. Everyone split into a group of three. My group will sneak through the back, you others flank the Fire Clan army. Please… Be careful," she warned.

They all nodded and ran off. 

"Let's go!"

Dora led Yime and Yamaka the western gates. She leapt high over them with the aid of the Wind Element.

Yime took a deep breath and summoned the Wind Element as well to give him a lift as he jumped up and over, landing softly on his feet. Yamaka landed beside him. Dora was already up and running on top of the roofs. Yime knew what she was looking for.

He quickly followed behind her. But stopped suddenly when he spotted something fly in front of him and embedded before his feet. A shiny silver knife, exactly like the samurai knife from before.

"Hmmph. I missed." A woman, dressed in black and red armour appeared before him and Yamaka. She had the bottom half of her face hidden behind a red shawl. Her long, golden hair flowed over her shoulders and her cold, red eyes glared right at them. In right her hand, she held a long metal staff with both ends ending in a sharp pointed blade, much like a spear's. She narrowed her eyes to slits as she scowled at Yime.

Yamaka smirked at the woman as he drew out his sword. "What's a fine young woman like you doing with a bunch of barbarians?" he asked in a sly tone.

The woman chuckled as she twirled her staff in a circle and held it in her left. "Are you insulting me?" she asked in a calm matter.

Yamaka shook his head, "Why, no, my lady."

"Well, I think you are!" she hissed as she drew out a knife in a blink of an eye and flung it directly at Yamaka who didn't evade in time. The knife tore deep into his left shoulder, blood gushing from the wound.

"Yamaka-san!" Yime cried as he quickly went to his side. Yamaka pulled the knife out, still smirking at the woman. 

"Sorry if I insulted you, my lady," he said, "Let me repay you…" He threw the knife back at her but she repelled it with a flick of her staff.

Yime placed a hand over Yamaka's wound and summoned the Water Element. Water Psynergy had the power to heal mostly anything: poison, pain, fatigue, and wounds. 

A light blue aura covered the wound, healing it completely without leaving a scar. Dizziness fell upon him when he was finished. He staggered slightly on his feet. He was too exhausted.

The woman gasped as she pointed a finger towards him. "_You_!" she hissed, "You're a Lemerca!"

Yime was confused by her accusation. He looked over at her and saw her eyes, flaring bright red as she fumed with both hatred and anger. 

"Thanks, boy," said Yamaka as he stepped up front. "Go find Hidekeru, I'll handle this."

Yime nodded. He turned to run but the woman screamed at him. "I'm not finished with you yet!" she snarled. 

"My lady, you're going to have to deal with me first," Yamaka calmly said. "Go. Get out of here!" he told Yime.

Yime nodded and followed the direction Hidekeru-sama went. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dora looked left, right, and below as she jumped from one building to another, desperately searching for Isaac. She made it home, but no one was there. Then she began to hope that he was with Shina. 

She headed towards her friend's home, almost tripping over her feet as she ran to jump. She collapsed on her knees and hands, sweating and out of breath. A pounding headache was jack-hammering away in her head as she slowly climbed to her feet. Rain began to gently fall, slightly relieving her aching muscles.

Her head snapped suddenly to her right as she felt an immensely growing power rise from that direction. Something was telling her to go there. Something … was happening there…

Obeying her inner instincts, she headed towards that direction. As sudden as it came, the immense power faded away as she got closer to the source. Stopping dead in her tracks, she forced herself from crying out at what she saw: a large warrior of the Fire Clan held her son by the neck who wasn't moving in his grasp.

Biting back sobs, she grabbed her two remaining shurikens and threw them at that man's arm. He didn't notice until it was too late as each struck painfully deep into his arm, along with a protruding knife. 

"Aaaaggh!" the man cried, dropping her son whom she flew and caught in her arms and leapt a few feet away.

Dora cradled Isaac in her arms, gently stroking the golden-brown strands of hair out of his face as tears fell from her eyes and landed softly on his pale cheeks. "Isaac…" she whispered, "It's me, sweetie… Open your eyes!"

No response. The boy wasn't breathing at all. She lightly shook her arms, "Come on, open your eyes… Mommy's here! Open your eyes!"

He didn't budge. He didn't flinch. He didn't breath…

Dora placed a hand on his chest, and summoned the remaining Psynergy she had into him, hoping for a miracle. _Please Isaac! Come back to me, baby!_

She hugged him closer, weeping as she wished. 

Suddenly… his body jerked as he coughed and drew in a sharp breath. Dora hugged him tightly in her arms, relieved. Isaac was now breathing shallow breaths, but he remained unconscious. Gently she laid him down and turned sharply at the scowling man who had his injured arm dangling uselessly to the side while the other tightly gripped his massive blade. And on the ground in between them lay a motionless body of a fellow ninja with… familiar chestnut hair and knives protruding from his back.

She knew who it was… Biting her tongue from crying out loud, she charged blindly at her foe, sword drawn and ready. But, her movements were slow due to exhaustion and fatigue, and he knew every move she was about to make. 

She swung sideways, totally missing her target who dodged backwards. He swung with much vengeance, driving his blade towards her open chest…. She was to slow to dodge or even block his attack, feeling the blade easily slide through her.

She coughed deep, crimson blood that stained her clothes and the shining sword in her chest. The man laughed and laughed but suddenly stopped as a deep, earth-shattering roar erupted the sky. Dora ignored the searing pain in her body to glance upwards, spotting golden scales covering the entire sky. Wings widely spread, covered every inch of grey she could see. The Ancient Dragon. It reared it's large gold head and roared once again, bringing fear to it's enemies. 

Dora glanced over at her foe, amused by his frozen look of fear as he stared wide-eyed at the Legendary Beast above them. 

"RETREAT!" he screamed, pulling the sword out of her and running back to the gates. 

She smirked as she slumped backwards to the ground, beside her fallen husband. _It's useless to run…_

"Kyle…" she whispered, stroking the hair of her beloved as tears flowed freely from her sapphire eyes. She could feel her life slipping away… Cool drops of rain fell upon her in a relaxing and calming way. Slowly, she closed her eyes…

"Hidekeru-sama!" she heard a muffled cry far off in the distance, too far for her to focus. Then she felt someone cradling her body.

"Hidekeru-sama! Hang on!" 

She felt a hand placed over her chest as a weak but warm aura covered her wound. It didn't do much… her life had already slipped far from recovery. 

"… Y-Yime…" she choked, feeling him tightly grasp her hand in his. She tried to see his face, but it was all a blur. "Y-Yime…"

"Hidekeru-sama! Please, save your strength!" he cried as he uselessly cast another weak healing spell.

"I-It's… too late, Yime…" she whispered softly. "Promise… me something…"

"Hidekeru-sama! Please hang on!" she heard him sob.

"…Promise me… Yime, that… that you'll t-take… take care of Is… Isaac… for me… Okay?" she whispered as her eyelids grew heavy and her body felt lighter than air.

"I-I will, Hidekeru-sama!" Yime cried, feeling her hand slip from his as she said her last word… 

"Hidekeru-sama!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was accompanied by the deep roar coming from above as the Ancient Dragon unleashed it's fury upon the people down below.

Leaving Dora's body behind, he picked up the unconscious Isaac and wrapped him tightly in his arms as the ground violently shook and cracked as bright, golden light erupted from the ground. The cracks grew wider and wider as blinding light burst from the ground, enveloping unworthy foes in a powerful force that evaporated their bodies to nothing.

Yime closed his eyes to shield from the bright light, but he couldn't cover his ears to block out the screams.


	8. Life and Death

A/N: Hello! I'm back again in a flash… Kind of. Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! What do you guys think of the story so far?

****

Chapter 8: Life and Death

"NOOO!!" 

"Iyuko… I'm sorry…"

"No! No! NO!!…."

"Iyuko..."

"How…? Why…? Why did this happen?!"

"I… It's my fault. I-I shouldn't have let her come with me…"

Garet was curled tightly into a ball, sitting on the plush, blue carpet of his living room. He covered his ears as best as he could to block out his mother's cries. He wanted to cry too, but he couldn't find the energy to do so. He quietly whimpered as his mother wailed once more on the cold, stone steps of their porch. 

His grandfather was standing in the living room doorway, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head. Slowly, his grandmother wrapped her arms around Garet and gently stroked his hair. 

"Is she gone?" he asked his grandmother. She began to sob as she quietly whispered "Yes."

Feeling the pain within him finally seeping out, Garet softly moaned and began to cry. "No… I…" he whimpered.

"Shh… Don't talk," his grandmother cooed in a gentle tone.

"She's gone, grandma!… Kaylina… She…She's…" he cried. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe anything that happened today. The explosions, the cries, the battle, the dragon, the earthquake and… the death.

"Shh. It's… It's alright, Garet. She's… She's safe. She's in a safe haven above us now, watching over us. She's not gone, Garet. Not gone at all. Now," she whispered softy, "Go to sleep, my dear. Everything will be alright…"

Garet listened with each word slowly lulling him to sleep. After hearing the last sentence, he was too tired to cry anymore. His grandmother's warm embrace made him forget the things around him. Listening to her calm, gentle voice was enough for Garet to fall into a deep slumber.

Jenna cried deeply in her mother's arms who also wept along with her. They both trembled and sobbed together on their living room floor. Shina's right arm was badly injured, but she ignored the pain as she tightly held her daughter closely. Blood-soaked bandages covered her arm completely from a deep sword wound.

She was lucky to survive the onslaught of the army. But… Riko was not. He fought along side with her, protecting her at all costs. Even if it meant sacrificing his life for her… She didn't see the samurai behind her who wielded a long shining blade before it was too late… Riko pushed her aside in time but he wasn't quick enough to get away…

Shina shook her head, wanting to erase that scene from her memory. She didn't want to remember it. _No… _

She didn't want to recall it. _Riko…_

She wanted to forget it all. _Riko, I'm sorry…_

It was too late to save him… After it happened, she lost control of herself. Full of rage and hatred, she savagely attacked the killer, not caring for her own safety as she fought recklessly against him. She emerged victorious in the end, and right then, the Ancient Dragon had appeared. It roared and the earth trembled under it's might as golden light broke through the ground. A protective barrier surrounded her as she watched the Fire Clan vaporize before her eyes. Their screams rang through her ears as they helplessly tried to get away…

When the light disappeared, she stayed closely to Riko's side. Ignoring the smell of blood and rain, she stayed close, holding his warm hands. The large shadow above the sky vanished as the Ancient Dragon disappeared for another one hundred years, and the rain fell upon them once again. Roads and houses showed no damage, untouched by the powerful attack inflicted upon them by the Ancient Dragon.

She didn't go back home to check on her children. Felix and Jenna came to her instead, wondering what happened to their parents long after the battle. 

When they saw her kneeling beside a body, they knew, first hand, what had happened. Jenna ran towards her, tears filling her eyes. Shina had to get up and hold her back, not wanting her daughter to see the gruesome scene before her. Felix remained back, frozen. Staring hard at the fallen body of his father.

Shina carried them home after that and here they were now, mourning _his_ death. Felix stood by the window, looking out with no expression on his face. Shina was sure he felt the same as her and Jenna. But she knew he would never cry in front of anyone. He was a brave, strong boy… And they don't cry. Never…

__

Never…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Open your eyes… 

The time will soon come…

Destiny and fate will merge…

The balance of power will fall…

Darkness will reign the heavens and earth…

Beware, young one…

When the time comes…

You will awaken…

Your true purpose will soon show…

We will await thee…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yime jerked awake when the nurse shook him. She gave him a small smile as she placed the food tray on the table beside Isaac's bed. Yime smiled back. He stretched and yawned as the nurse quietly left the room.

He sighed deeply, rubbing his tired eyes. One day has already passed since the battle. And since then, Isaac has not regained consciousness. The boy only suffered from the marks on his neck. Someone had tried to strangle him… 

Immediately after the violent, earth-breaking attack from the Ancient Dragon, Yime had ran to the hospital, carrying Isaac in his arms. Although he was a little stunned and shaken up from what had happened, he managed to find his way through the bloody streets and into the hospital without making a wrong turn like he used to. 

There were no signs of any Fire Clan survivors in the village as he ran. They must've all been caught in the dragon's Light of Earth… 

Yime had stayed by Isaac's side. He never left, even when the doctors tried to force him out. He promised to take care of Isaac. He would watch over him for now on… Because… no one will. Both Isaac's parents were gone. 

They were much like parents to Yime as well. They took him in, even though he was an outsider. Yime couldn't remember anything of his past. He didn't know if he even had parents. It didn't matter to him… Kyle and Dora were the greatest parents he ever had…

Dora had help him train to be a village ninja. And all her training had gotten him to a high-level Genyin. The day he received his recognition for Genyin was his most memorable moment he could ever remember. Dora and Kyle were so proud of him.

Sometimes, he had wanted to call them "Mom" or "Dad", but he was too shy to say so. When Isaac was born, Yime was very excited to have someone he could call "brother." And brothers they were; they played games together , tackled one or the other, and sneaked in treats before supper whenever Dora wasn't looking.

But when missions came along, they were sadly separated for awhile depending on the mission status. Some missions took days, some took weeks. 

But during those short times between missions, Yime treated each day like it was his last as he took Isaac all over Vale to reach his one favourite spot of all places: high atop Mt. Aleph. It was forbidden to enter Mt. Aleph, but he managed to sneak both himself and Isaac through the dangerous trap-filled rooms of each level. He was a ninja after all, sneaking and stealth were his specialties. He knew if Dora had known where he had taken Isaac, he would have been grounded for life.

Atop Mt. Aleph was a magnificent sight. The village below looked as if it were inhabited by ants. The Vale Forests reached as far as the eye can see. The single river running through the village could be seen miles away, disappearing into the far open plains beyond the forest boundaries. Those open plains… It was Yime's dream to explore them. He wanted to experience the feeling of not being surrounded by forests all the time. Maybe… that was where he came from.

__

Wait a minute… he snapped fully awake. _"_You_! You're a Lemerca!"_ he remembered that woman say to him. She said it with hatred too. _A Lemerca… Is that what I am?_

He had never really thought of himself to be different among the over people of Vale. No one treated him differently. He knew, though, that he was different. He stood out among the crowd with his blue hair and golden eyes. Everyone knew who he was: the boy with the healing powers.

"A Lemerca…" he whispered to himself. _What's a Lemerca?_

He continued to watch Isaac's sleeping form, deep in thought.

"Oi," said a familiar voice, breaking his thoughts.

A strong hand placed fell on his shoulder as her turned to see. It was Yamaka. He had his left arm in a sling and bandages around his hands. Yamaka grinned at him.

"Yamaka-san! Thank goodness you're still alive!" Yime breathed, happy to see his comrade. 

"Heh. That fine, young woman was tougher than I thought. I nearly lost my head twice in a row in that fight. Good thing the Ancient Dragon came to save my butt…" Yamaka sighed. "You know, I think she liked me…" He grinned.

Yime let out a short laugh. "Yamaka-san, stop dreaming such things."

"Oh? I'm not dreaming. I really think she did," Yamaka chuckled. Then in a more serious tone, "I heard what happened… It's hard to believe that she's really gone."

Yime looked away and stared at the floor. "It's… impossible to believe…" he whispered.

"She was the greatest leader I had ever known… Kid, she held up strong to all of us. Even in the end…" Yamaka said. He pulled up a chair and sat beside Yime, looking carefully at the boy in bed. "Her son…"

Yime looked up at him. Yamaka shook his head sadly. "Are you both going to be okay?" he asked him.

Yime shook his head. "Of course not. It won't be the same… Isaac's going to grow up with no parents… And I… I…" he trailed off, hot tears stinging his eyes. He shook his head again. "I wish they were back. They were both like parents to me, Yamaka-san. Isaac… He and I are brothers. We were all a family… A family I can only remember…"

Yamaka placed his hand on his shoulder. "Kid, I know how it is…I-I lost my little sister when I was young. She and I were inseparable together. But one day, she fell in the river and drowned because I wasn't' brave enough to jump in and save her… Life wasn't the same without her. The only way I could go on was to just stop thinking about the past. There's no point in moping around anymore. The future is what you need to stay focused on, kid."

"But, I don't think…" Yime began, but Yamaka interrupted.

"You need to stay strong, kid. For yourself and for those around you. Isaac needs you more than anything now… Don't break down yet… I know it's tough to get over it, but… life is still ahead of you. Dora… I would think she'd say the same thing. She never gave up in every battle and in every mission when things didn't go so well. Like that time with the Wolf Demons. There was a slim chance that we would make it out alive, but we managed to pull through. Mostly."

"I wasn't a Genyin back then so I wasn't there…" Yime said.

Yamaka smiled. "I know. But I'm telling ya that she never gave up hope."

"She almost died… I remember that…" 

Yamaka nodded. "I know… But she pulled through, didn't she? She never held regret or guilt for those lost in battle, because it's part of being a ninja. Ninjas are trained to feel no such emotions because it could disrupt the missions…"

"Yamaka-san… I don't understand…"

"It's simple, kid. Never give up hope… Life goes on. Stay strong for those you love. I know how tough it is… Don't give up, kid. I don't want to see you breaking down…"

"Yamaka-san…" Yime whispered. He thought through what Yamaka had said, unsure if he should just forget the loss of his "parents." "It's not that simple…" he said.

Yamaka grinned. "Don't be too hasty then. Take it one step at a time… Just remember: Those who died are never truly gone, they remain in our hearts as they watch over us…"

A small smile formed on Yime's lips. "Thanks… Yamaka-san."

A sudden movement in bed caught his attention. Isaac stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

"He's awake!" Yime cried, relieved.

Yamaka nodded. "I'll leave you two alone," he said quietly as he closed the door behind him.

Isaac looked at his surroundings, a look of confusion clearly on his face. When his eyes settled on Yime's, he froze.

Yime gave him a smile. "Isaac, how are you feeling?" he gently asked the boy.

Isaac blinked, fully confused. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I…Isaac…?" the boy asked. "Is…is that my name?" 

Fear gripped at Yime's insides as he sat beside Isaac. "Yes… it's your name. Don't you remember?" he asked fearfully.

The boy closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "No… I… I can't remember…" Isaac said as he slowly sat up. "Who… are you?"

Yime bit his lower lip as more tears stunned his eyes. Slowly, he sadly shook his head as he said, "I'm Yime… I'm… I'm your brother, Isaac," he choked back a sob. "Don't you remember?"

"Yee…may…" the boy answered. "It sounds… familiar… But I don't… remember…"

Yime couldn't take it anymore. He draped his arms around the unwary boy and sobbed. He felt him tense under his touch but he soon relaxed as Yime continued to cry. "Isaac… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Isaac turned his body to look at him. "Sorry…? Why?" the boy asked quietly. 

  
Yime didn't answer him. He tightened his hold on him and continued to cry. _I'm sorry Isaac… Hidekeru-sama… Hidekeru-san…_


	9. Shadows of Desire

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the long wait. I had so much trouble getting this chapter done due to program crashing. GRR!! I hate it!! Ah, so enjoy this long chapter. Oh, and by the way, I drew more pictures! ^_^;

There's a pic of Yime and Dora, and another with the Ancient Dragon and the Wise One. If you would like one or both, just say so and leave your email! Enjoy!

****

Chapter 9: Shadows of Desire

He tried his best not to yelp in pain as she pulled the knife out of his wounded arm. But trying didn't work. Instead, he screamed a horrific scream that echoed throughout the dark woods. 

"Shut up, you fool! Do you want them to find us?!" she cried, bandaging the deep wound tightly to stop the bleeding. She then yanked out the two ninja stars sticking out and bandaged those wounds as well.

Agatio winced and squirmed from the pain, biting his tongue to withhold from crying out. "I'll get my revenge," he said deeply, full of hate and anger. "I'll kill them _all_ next time!" he roared. He touched his bandaged eye, feeling the stinging pain surge through his head. He cringed and cursed under his breath. 

"Next time?! We hardly stand a chance against those enormous beasts they keep unleashing on us," the woman spat. She tightened the bandages and tied them up. "And what were you thinking back there?! You disobeyed us and ran ahead, you selfish fool! You were going to get those Stars for yourself weren't you?"

"Pah! Shut up, Menardi. I was going to steal them unnoticed so we could get out of there as quickly as possible. I would have managed to if that measly ninja didn't get in my way!" he hissed. Then he grinned. "Ha! He got what he deserved for being such a weakling."

"Oh? Is that so? Did that measly ninja give you those injuries?" Menardi asked sarcastically. 

He growled. "No… Not exactly…" 

"Oh?" She raised a brow, "Then who?"

"…." Agatio didn't answer. He gritted his teeth and clenched his one good hand.

"It was a little brat and his mommy," a voice called out from above them. 

Menardi and Agatio looked up and saw one their fellow warriors who survived the chaos. A young woman with short, crimson hair and deep red eyes. The darkness covered most of her features but both warriors knew who she was. 

"Karst. I knew you'd make it out alive," Menardi said, feeling slightly relieved.

Karst jumped down from her perch and smirked. "Same goes for you, sis. But I didn't think Agatio would have _managed _to get out of _there _in time."

Agatio growled at her. "What does _that_ mean?!"

"You fool," she hissed. "You tried to recklessly sneak into the village without us knowing. But I saw you go on ahead so I followed."

"What?!" Agatio roared. "Then you saw-"

"Yes," she interrupted, "I watched you battle with that man." She shook her head, "You are heartless, Agatio. It was strange though… When that boy attacked you."

"Did you feel it? His power?" he asked, wincing as he stood up. He leaned against a tree for support.

The red-head nodded. "I did feel an enormous amount of Psynergy, but I don't think it was coming from that child… It could have been the Wise One of the village. He must have used that much Psynergy to unleash that dragon on us…"

"No… I know it came from that little brat. I saw with my own eyes…" he grumbled. "And why didn't you help me back there?!"

She smirked. "I thought a big doof like you could handle such a situation so I stayed back and watched as you tormented that poor boy. If you weren't so blinded in rage, you could've deflected those throwing stars that woman threw. And as well, it's a little revenge for running up ahead. Saturos told you to wait for his troops to attack first, but you went and blew up the gates without him!"

"Pah! I didn't want to wait any longer for that fool! He said he would attack at dawn, but he didn't. Morning came, so I thought I would take charge of the attack!" he growled, slamming a fist into the tree.

"What? Saturos didn't attack first?" Menardi asked. Her sister shook her head.

"I only saw Agatio attacking first," she said.

They gave each other a worried look. "I wonder what happened... He never mislead us like that…" said Menardi, tightening her hold on her pointed staff. 

Karst bit her lower lip. "I don't know… Where is he?" she wondered.

"Right here."

All heads turned to the speaker. A man, wearing the same armour as them emerged from the shadows. He limped towards them, while covering a bloody gash on his right arm. His pale, blue hair, stained with dark blood, covered half his face as usual. His red eyes stared hard at them. A thin trickle of blood trailed out of the corner of his mouth. He sneered. "There was trouble back at my camp before it was time," he informed them in a calm tone. 

"Saturos! What happened?!" Karst demanded. She ran up to him and supported half his weight on her shoulders.

"Where the hell _were_ you?!" Agatio raged, pounding the tree and making leaves flutter to the ground.

Saturos glared at him. "Keh!" he spat. "We were ambushed by Demons. We were about to leave to get into place but a small group of Demons attacked us from behind. Over half of my men were killed and all are wounded."

Agatio snorted. "Demons?!" he cried. "You couldn't take out such pathetic monsters?!"

Saturos gritted his teeth, staring hard at him. "They weren't weaklings… They were more powerful than the ones we have ever encountered," he said in a even tone. 

"Heh heh heh. You're right about that, _Saturos_," came a low, feminine voice. 

Saturos flinched, baring his teeth at his unwanted guest. "_You_…!" he hissed. 

A woman, dressed in black that reflected her bare, pale skin, stood before them on a thick branch. She wore black high-heeled boots, a black feathered skirt that was long on one side and shorter on the other, a small black top that revealed her pale stomach. Her smooth, long black hair was neatly tied up in a bun by two chopsticks. Her cold, dark eyes stared hard among them. Her thin, black lips twisted to a sneer. 

"Ah, Saturos. Will you reconsider my offer now?" she cooed maliciously, glowering at the four warriors before her.

Menardi readied her staff while Agatio pushed himself off the tree, glaring at the newfound enemy.

Saturos spat on the ground. "_Never_!" he hissed. "We'll never join the likes of _you_!"

The woman let out a short laugh. "You haven't learned anything, did you? How about I show you what _I_ can do to change your mind once more?" she grinned, slowly raising her bare hand.

"NO! Don't!" Saturos cried, almost tripping over if it weren't for Karst's support. "Don't you _dare_!" he hissed, wincing in pain as he took a step forward.

The woman stopped. She sneered and waited. "You'll do what?" she asked.

"What is she talking about, Saturos?" Karst fearfully asked, trying her best to hold Saturos up. 

Saturos cringed, narrowing his eyes at the fiend. "She's a _Demon_. She wanted me, no… us, to join her _kind_ to get the help get the Stars!" he hissed. "But I refused, so her group attacked my men!"

The woman laughed, covering her thin lips with her thin fingers. "It's what you get," she smirked. "You never refuse the Dark Lord."

"Join a Demon?!" Agatio roared, clenching his fist in uncontrolled anger. "We will never stoop so low to join bastards like you!"

"Agatio's right, _Demon_ scum. Begone! Or we'll make take things into our own hands!" Menardi added, swinging her staff in a arc, prepared for battle. 

The woman laughed. She gave them all a vile stare. "Don't be fools," she said, fingering the edge of her dress. "Join us and we'll grant you power! Power you could never imagine! Don't be fools to throw such an offer away."

All four samurai glared maliciously at her. "We _will _never join a Demon!" Saturos hissed. He pushed himself away from Karst and threw a dagger at her.

The woman sneered, easily smacking the dagger away with her long, pointed black nails. "Refusing once again?" she said calmly. "Then I have no choice…" She raised her hand in the air. Dark purple mist surrounded her hand.

Glowing red and yellow eyes emerged from the shadows around them. Hissing, growling, roaring, and laughter echoed around them. Shadows moved in close, slowly advancing towards their prey.

"Shit!" Saturos cursed, pulling another dagger out for battle. Menardi tightened her grip on her staff. She cursed under her breath as the shadows finally stepped into her view. Demons of all sorts of animals and monsters baring sharp fangs and claws. All were covered in black markings.

Agatio growled, flexing his fist. He was prepared to use his one good hand to continue fighting, even to the death. Karst glared at her foes. She took out her chained kunai blade. Swinging the head in circles, she readied to strike the first foe to charge at her.

Both sides were all about to clash, but a deep powerful voice interrupted them, stopping all them in their tracks. "Enough, Taniko." A black cloud erupted between them, revealing a tall, pale skinned man. His long sleek, black hair neatly hung behind his pointed ears. His violet, cat-like eyes showed much evil within him as he glowered at the woman. He wore a long black robe, decorated with unique markings, that reached the floor. "If they wish to be left alone, then do so," he continued, averting his eyes on the samurais. 

"B-But… My Lord! They refused your kind offer!" the woman stuttered, fear showing in her eyes.

"Is that so…" the man said, focusing his gaze on Saturos. "Well, if it's what they decide. Then so be it."

Her eyes widened with surprise. "What?! But my Lord… I thought…" she trailed of, speechless.

The man ignored her. He raised his hand, making the Demons around them back off from the group. Then to the four warriors, "I don't mind if you refuse my offer. Instead, I'll give you hand on your little problem." He grinned, revealing a sharp pair of fangs. "If you ever wished to succeed in getting those Stars, why not seek out the Ancient Dragon's Golden Scale?"

"Dragon Scale?" Menardi asked, unsure if she could trust the evil-looking man before her. 

The man smiled and unnerving smile. "Yes. You are the Fire Clan, are you not? You're also known as the Dragon Clan as well, correct?"

Agatio growled through his clenched teeth, "How'd you know?!"

The man continued smiling. "I know a lot about you and your kind. Your people seek power to become the ruling race of the world. It's what we Demons desire as well. So I'm happily giving you a hand since we are on the same terms."

Saturos glowered at him. "After what you did to me and my men? Why would you think we would believe scum like you?!" he hissed.

The Demon narrowed his eyes at the woman, making her cringe. "Taniko acted on her own. She shall be punished for her disobedience," he said.

Taniko looked fearfully at her master, afraid of what will happen. "I-I'm sorry, my Lord! I'll never do it again! Please! Forgive me!" she cried, dropping to the ground below and falling on her knees, begging.

The man turned away from her. "I'll deal with you later." He turned his gaze back to Saturos. "Go to the Tower of Pronce to find the Golden Scale. You have heard of the continent of Hesperia, have you not?"

"It's in the West…" Saturos answered, biting back his urge to lunge forward and driving a knife into the Demon.

The man nodded. "Good. We'll be off then. Until we meet again, Fire Clan." He disappeared, along with all the other Demons in a black cloud, without a trace. 

Saturos then dropped to the floor, exhausted and overwhelmed by the turn of events. Karst was first to his side, helping him up. "Curse them Demons…" he groaned. Karst started ripping her cloak into strips and bandaging them around his wounds.

"Should we trust them?" Menardi asked, wrapping strips around the other wounds. 

"Trusting a _Demon_'s word? Keh!" he spat, wincing at the pain. "But… If what he said is true…" 

Agatio stomped over to them, "You're not going to believe them, are you?!" he asked bitterly. 

All heads turned to Saturos. He gave them a grim smile. "We have no choice… We don't stand a chance against that village with our current power and strength. And many of us have been slaughtered once again… by those great beasts."

Agatio roared in outrage, "Those puny ninjas! How is it possible for them to have such control over those monsters?!"

Menardi and Karst finished wrapping Saturos' wounds. Menardi shook her head. "We shouldn't underestimate those ninjas. They may have a short lifespan, but they have so much knowledge. Not only that… they have the help of the Lemercas with them!" she told them. 

They all froze, staring wide-eyed at her. "WHAT?!" Agatio cried. "How do you know that?!"

"I saw one. Back in that village. I injured a man and he _healed_ his wounds with Psynergy!" she explained. 

Karst let out a sigh. "I didn't see any when I was following Agatio… But, now that the Lemercas are one their side, it's impossible to get those Stars! We should give up…"

"Never!" Agatio roared. "Those humans have driven us far to the north centuries ago! I'm not going to let them live freely in this land that once belonged to us! Once those Stars are in our hands, we will rule once again over those feeble creatures!"

"But… It's impossible!" Karst replied.

"It won't be impossible," Saturos grinned. Everyone turned and stared at him. "The Ancient Dragon's Golden Scale… With it, our power will grow stronger. So strong, that no one will ever stand a chance against us."

"Ha, so you're saying we go?" Agatio asked.

Saturos nodded. "Yes, to the Valley of Wind."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day was long for Yime as he performed another healing spell on one of the many injured men at the hospital. Since he was around, he decided to help the doctors as Isaac slept. His spell was very useful, injuries instantly healed back to normal, even major ones. Everyone was thankful to have him around. 

Even the Wise One who suffered from weakness and fatigue from using too much Psynergy. He greatly thanked Yime as he finished the spell. "Thank you, Satoshi. I am in your debt, how may I repay you for doing so much here?" Heidachi asked.

Yime blushed as he brushed a hand through his wild hair. "No need to, sir! I should be deeply in your debt since you saved the entire village!" he said.

The Wise One laughed. "I may have, but you have done more than I could ever do," he said, stroking his white beard.

"Nani? I didn't do anything…" Yime said, confused.

The Wise One smiled. He motioned the boy to sit before him. Yime slumped onto the chair, exhausted. 

"Satoshi, your ability to heal is very unique. You've saved the lives of the wounded. There's no way I could ever do that," the Wise One said.

Yime shook is head abruptly. "You saved the _entire_ village today! You saved many lives throughout your entire life! There's no way I could ever do that much."

The Wise One laughed once more. "It doesn't matter how many times I've saved the village. There would always be the wounded and dying after battles were fought and won. There was nothing I could do to help them. I saw so much suffering in my life that I so desired the ability to heal. I envy you, Satoshi."

Yime blush, laughing nervously.

The Wise One continued. "You've grown so much. The once frail, shy little boy is now a fully responsible, mature young man. Your skills have proven your strength and courage." He stood up from his bed. "Satoshi, from this day forward, I now proudly acknowledge you as a Kuuyin."

Yime froze, wide-eyed and shocked. "H-Huh?! D-Do you really mean it, Wise One?!" he asked.

"Call me Heidachi," the Wise Man smiled, nodding. "You have proven exceedingly well with your skills and techniques in battle. You've shown that you are willing and strong. Not only that, you also have gain so much experience from the Kuuyin missions. It gives me great pleasure to promote you to Kuuyin."

Yime gasped, took a deep breath, got out of his chair and kneeled before the Wise One. "I-I'm so thankful for this great honour, Wi- err, Heidachi-sama! I promise that I will perform my duties as a Kuuyin with all my effort and strength! I am honoured to serve you, Wise- uh, Heidachi-sama!"

The Wise One laughed. "Get up, boy. There's no need to thank me. You deserve this promotion. It's the best I could do."

Yime stood up, face flushed with embarrassment. "I have always dreamed of becoming a Kuuyin ever since I began training with Hidekeru-sama to become a ninja," he explained, grinning with joy.

"Ahh, you were a talented boy. I remember the first day Dora brought you into our village. I had feared that you were a spy. But it turned out you were just an innocent child," Heidachi added. "You had made such an impression to us when you first discovered your healing abilities."

Yime's grin grew wider. But then it turned to a frown. "Heidachi-sama, could I ask you a question?"

The Wise Man nodded, sitting back down on his bed. 

Yime hesitated before asking, "During your travels, have you ever heard of the Lemerca?"

Heidachi frowned in thought, stroking his long, white beard as he did so. "A Lemerca…" he repeated to himself. "It sounds vaguely familiar…I remember hearing rumours of the existence of a Lemerca clan when I traveled to the far east, searching for the Ancient Dragon. I'm not quite sure what they were about. I don't remember much, but I do remember one of the townsfolk claiming they saw one."

Yime straightened his back, getting a little excited at what he has learned. "Have you seen what they look like?" he asked.

"The townsfolk?" Heidachi raised an eyebrow.

"No, a Lemerca."

Heidachi shook his head. "No, I have never seen one," he said, making Yime frown with disappointment. "Why are you asking this?" he asked the boy.

Yime shrugged, looking solemnly at his feet. "Well… On that day, during the battle, Yamaka-san and I were stopped by a woman from the Fire Clan. She said I was a Lemerca. At first, I didn't understand what she meant. But then, just yesterday, I remembered that I'm not from here so I have been thinking…" he trailed off, shifting his feet nervously. 

"Do you think she was right?" Heidachi kindly asked, stroking his beard once more. 

Yime looked up into the old man's gentle, dark eyes and shrugged. "Well, after I healed Yamaka-san's wound she gave him, she immediately accused me as a Lemerca. And she said it with so much hate…" he told him.

Heidachi sighed. "They always hate everything," he grumbled. Then in a more serious tone, "The Lemercas… They could be the Fire Clan's sworn enemies. The Water Element is in your control, while the Fire Clan solely rely on the Fire Element. What I said could be true for they have an everlasting hatred towards each other because of their opposing elemental attributes."

"That was a mouthful, Heidachi-sama," Yime said, sitting back down in his chair. He rubbed his tired eyes. "So, since I can summon the Water Element, then I _am_ a Lemerca, right?" he asked.

Heidachi shrugged. "If it's what you believe," he said, taking out a pipe and placing it in his mouth.

"What I believe? I'm not sure what I believe. I can't remember my real name for that matter," he said. He turned his chair backwards to rest his chin on the wooden back support while still facing Heidachi.

Heidachi lit a match, then his pipe. He took a puff before answering. "Don't confuse yourself, boy. You are what _you_ believe to be. You are who you are. No one can accuse you of being anybody else."

Yime closed his eyes and sighed. "I can only remember my name as Yime Satoshi… A name given to me by Hidekeru-sama. It's not my real name though…"

"Boy," Heidachi grunted as he took another puff. "You _are _Yime Satoshi because it's what the things you remember make you _him_. Yime Satoshi isn't just a name, boy. It _is _you. If you manage to remember your past, will you accept your lost self? You can't let your past define who you really are. Or who you really want to be."

Yime opened his eyes to carefully look into Heidachi's serious face. He gave him a grin. "You're right, Wise On-"

"Heidachi," the old man corrected.

"Uh, Heidachi-sama. You're right. I can't just throw away the name Hidekeru-sama gave me. I am who I am; the only thing I can remember; I _am_ Yime Satoshi of Vale. Someday, I would like to go out into the world and search for my past…"

Heidachi frowned. "You do know, that you are forbidden to leave the forest, don't you?" he asked.

Yime sighed once more and slumped in his chair, resting his head on the chair. "Yeah… I do. But that doesn't keep me from dreaming about, does it? I have always wondered where I came from, but now I have a clue! If only…" He mumbled softly, disappointed at the outcome.

Heidachi puffed twice on his pipe before standing up. He place a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him a smile. "I'm really sorry, Satoshi. No one's allowed to leave unless it was for mission purposes. Especially you, since you are an outsider."

"I know…" Yime groaned, furrowing his brow while looking at the floor. "But can I one day go on one of those excursion missions?" he asked, pleadingly.

Heidachi shook his head, "The law's the law. You cannot leave the village, Satoshi."

Yime sagged lower in his chair. "Aww…" he groaned. He brushed a hand through his dirty, blue hair, realizing that he badly needed a bath. He had gone well over a week without one and he probably much stank up the whole room. He looked down at his dirty, torn, blood-stained clothes and sniffed. His face horribly twisted to disgust as he gagged from the pungent stench. "Bleah! I need a bath!" he cried. He quickly stood up, but then sat back down. "But I can't leave Isaac alone…"

"Isaac?" Heidachi asked, puffing away on his pipe.

"Isaac… Hidekeru-sama's son. He… He's here because someone tried to hurt him. Hidekeru-sama and Hidekeru-san were both killed by that one man… I'm the only family he's got… or closest to a family he's got…" he said softly, feeling the pain and sorrow, he tried to forget, slowly come back to him.

"Ah, I remember. The poor lad… Not only he, but many others as well have lost their families…It's tough to live through such a time like this…" Heidachi said. He sadly shook his head. "There's nothing I can do to restore time… Satoshi, I'm really sorry for what has happened. Take good care of the boy," he finished as he headed for the door.

"It's not going to be easy…" Yime said, looking glumly at the floor. "Isaac doesn't remember me… or anything else. The doctor says it's amnesia…"

Heidachi gave him a pitied look. Sorrow and sadness in his eyes. "That's terrible…"

Yime shook his head in disbelief. "How…? I don't understand. How could he get amnesia? He didn't hit his head or anything! How?!" he cried angrily. He pounded his fist on the backend of the chair. "How can he forget…?"

The Wise One shook his head, unsure. "Sometimes… things happen for a reason, Satoshi. The mind can act on it's own to protect itself. Maybe, the boy saw something that his mind could not handle… Something that could have destroyed him. Whatever it was, his mind had a good reason to make him forget… to protect the boy."

Yime remained speechless. He was on the edge of bursting into tears. "Maybe…" he muttered, lowering his head into his hands, choking back the tears stinging his tired eyes.

"Satoshi… In two days, the Ceremony of Passing will be held at the shrine tower. After the ceremony, come to the top of the tower. I want to give you something," said the old man. "Be strong, boy. Take good care of yourself. Get some rest, you'll need it." With that, he left, quietly closing the door behind him.

Yime repeated his words in his head, trying to remember them. _Ceremony of Passing…_

Tomorrow morning was when Isaac could leave and go home, which was something Yime had urgently wanted to do; to go home and sleep. But first, to take a bath and change into new, clean clothes…

__

Two days till the ceremony… Until then, he'll have to try to get Isaac's memories back; to make him remember the brave warriors his parents were. 

__

Isaac… Mom and Dad will never be forgotten. Especially not by you… he promised. 


	10. Secret and Safe

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had writer's bloc a few times, but now I managed to get this done! Yahoo! Anyway, thank you for reviewing. I really appreciate your comments. Enjoy!

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Chapter 10: Secret and Safe

Happily, he took his older brother's hand. Yime. That was his brother's name. Isaac was glad to finally leave the odd -smelling room he stayed in. The people in white kept checking his eyes with a bright light and he didn't like it.

'Home' was where his brother said they were going to. "Where is our home?" he asked as they left the odd-smelling hospital. 

His brother smiled at him. "Not that far," he told him. "It's a house up on that little hill. You're going to remember it once you see it!"

Isaac smiled back. Then he noticed the messy road covered in debris. "What happened here?" he asked.

Yime shook his head, frowning. "There was… a big battle a few days ago," he told him. "These bad people came and destroyed our gates," he pointed to the pile of charred wood. "But they're gone now. So we're safe."

Isaac curiously stared at the remains of the village gates. "Why would they do that?" he wondered. 

Again his brother shook his head. "Well… It's a long story. I'll tell you once we get home, okay?" He grinned.

Isaac nodded.

"Isaac! Satoshi-san!" someone called. Both heads turned to the source: a little purple-haired girl, who looked the same age as Isaac, with bright red eyes waved to them from the wooden steps of her home. Isaac wondered how she knew him.

"Jenna-chan!" Yime greeted her. Behind the little girl, a taller woman with a bandaged arm and a boy with long, dark hair who was also about the same age as Isaac came out. Timidly, Isaac stayed back. The girl looked strangely at him.

"Satoshi! I'm so glad you made it back!" the woman cried, giving him a hug. 

"Kiyoma-san!" Yime hugged her back. "Your arm… I'll take care of that. But first, may I have a word with you and your kids?" he asked, gently pushing the woman inside her home.

"Uh, sure. Felix, Jenna come inside," the woman told the other children.

Then Yime turned around to Isaac. "Just wait there. Okay, Isaac?" 

The boy nodded, curiously looking around at his surroundings. He felt lost… He didn't know where he was in this so unfamiliar place. He didn't want to be left alone…

"…I see…" he heard the woman say as they all came back outside. The girl named Jenna-chan, approached him first, looking a little sad. 

She gave him a smile. "Hi!" she cheerfully said, "My name is Jenna, Isaac-kun."

Isaac gave her a timid smile. "Hi," he responded. 

She then pointed to the tall woman with red hair. "That is my mom," she told him. Then she pointed to the other boy who stayed back, giving Isaac a cold stare. Isaac quickly averted his eyes away from his and looked back at the nice girl. "That is my brother, Felix."

Isaac gave him a small wave. The other boy glared and walked away, back into the house. "Felix? Where are you going?" the boy's mother asked. But she didn't get an answer. She shook her head, looking sadly to the ground.

Jenna shrugged. "Felix is… not in the mood to talk… after what happened…" she whispered softly, staring at the dirt ground.

Isaac remained silent. He wanted to know what she was talking about, but he knew she didn't want to. Instead, he tried to remember… something that was nagging at the back of his mind. Something about Jenna seemed familiar…

"Jenna-chan…" he said quietly, catching her attention. "Um… do you know… who I am?" he asked.

Slowly, she sniffed as tears began to flow from her bright eyes. "Isaac…kun…" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around him.

As she cried on his shoulders, Isaac draped his own arms around her. "Don't cry…" he told her. He didn't want her to feel sad… He didn't want anyone to feel sad…

"Jenna…" her mother cooed, gently stroking her daughter's hair as she wept in Isaac's arms. "Come on, dear. Let's go home." 

Jenna nodded. She slowly moved away, towards her mother. Her mother gave Isaac a small, sad smile and mussed up his hair. "Take care, Isaac-chan."

The violet-haired girl kept watching him with teary red eyes as she climbed up the steps and into her house. Yime grabbed his hand once more and they continued on home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yime dashed through the first floor of the trapped filled sanctum, avoiding the trigger wires and dangerous switches hidden all over the water filled room. Even the stone steps that were for stepping stones across the pool had some trap switches. Running over the water with "invisible" trip wires was the method as he did so easily while carrying Isaac on his back. Running over water did seem difficult but it was easy to do with the aid of the Wind Element. You have to be quick and precise with your movements or you'll sink or run into a wire.

"Piece of cake," he told the boy who tightly clung to his back. "The second room's even easier. Watch this! Hold on tight!" he laughed, dashing into the stone corridor. He knew where every trip wire, every hidden switch, and every hidden pit that lay in the Mt. Aleph. He spent a lot of training in this place unnoticed by everyone in the village. He loved being inside the ancient place. 

It felt like a safe haven, only if you exclude the dangerous traps and surprises littered all over the place. Plus, the view from the top was truly breathtaking. I allowed him to see beyond the forest boundaries and into the world he once came from. 

Sol Sanctum… The Elemental Stars are hidden within here. Yime had never seen them inside, he never bothered to. He only wanted to see the beautiful scenery at the top floor. The Wise One once said that the Stars were sealed centuries ago within Sol Sanctum.

He jumped and skidded to a stop right before the next entrance. Carefully, he examined the doorway, making sure that all the trip wires were still in their original place. They were tough to see to the untrained eyes. The reflection of light shines off the surface of the wires, making them easy to spot. 

Carefully, he slowly squeezed through with Isaac still on his back. Then he rushed forward, into the next room. Keeping as calm as he could to avoid distressing the boy, as he leaped over the once well-hidden pit full of spikes. 

The first time he came here, he inspected every inch of every room, calculating how many traps were in each room and knowing where exactly they were. He didn't see the pit of spikes that time, so he almost fell to his doom. Lucky for him, he carried his katana that time. He managed to throw the sword downward, erecting the blade into the spikes to land one foot onto the handle to jump back up. He was so lucky that time… He lost his katana so he had to make up a story of how he lost it…

Hidekeru-san ended up grounding Yime for losing his first sword he had received on his first day of becoming a Genyin. A gift from his dad to him…

He suddenly stopped, retracing back to the pit. The pit was around three metres deep dug into the hard, rocky ground. It was around two metres by three metres in length and width. Sharp pointed spikes neatly lined up in rows laid at the bottom, as was a pile of bones that once belonged to an unfortunate samurai. As did his old sword that was still embedded in place. Now, if only there was a way he could get it back…

"What are you doing?" Isaac whispered, still clinging tightly to his back.

Yime bent down to let him off, careful that he wouldn't step on a switch. "I'm going to get something I lost a long time ago," he told the boy. "Step here," he pointed to a tile, "And here," he pointed to another beside the boy, "And _don't_ move. There's booby traps all over the place." He took out his kunais and flung them into the opposite side of the pit wall, making footholds. "I'll be back soon, kay?"

Isaac nodded, afraid to move from his spot. Yime leapt back across the pit and climbed down into the pit, checking each kunai if they'll hold his weight. Slowly, he made it to the bottom. His sword was just a reach away. Well… Just barely. His fingertips brushed the handle, but he couldn't get a good grip.

__

Come on! Just a little more… 

He stretched out his other arm, careful not to loosen the kunai from it's hold. Slowly, he managed to wrap his hand around the old, worn out handle. A small smile spread across his face as he yanked it a few times, trying to pry it loose. His effort also loosened some of the rocky dirt on the kunais he was holding onto too. 

__

Come on… He pulled harder, finally grasping the sword free from the earth. "Yes!" he grinned. He bit onto the metal blade and climbed back up, almost falling as one of his kunais went out under his foot. Letting out a deep breath, he clambered back up, giving Isaac a thumbs up. "Got it!" he said cheerfully. He placed the sword into his belt and leapt over with his powerful legs. 

"What's that?" Isaac asked, curiously wondering why Yime would go into a dangerous whole. 

Saddened, Yime placed a hand on the sword's handle. "This sword was given to me by your father," he told him. "It used to be his. His father gave it to him when he became a Genyin. Then he gave it to me when I became a Genyin."

Then he gave Isaac a reassuring grin. "Isaac, someday you'll wield this sword when you become a Genyin. This is a very precious thing your father had given to me… And I can't believe I left it here for so many years…" he said regrettably. "Promise me that you'll take care of it when I give it to you!"

The little boy smiled and let out a short laugh. "I will!"

Yime patted the boy's head and bent back down for him to climb onto his back once more. "Off we go again! Hang on tight!"

"Sougoi!" Isaac said in awe. The sight before him was unbelievably beautiful. The afternoon sun shone down upon the small village down below the mountain side. He could see the forest stretching so far away, as far as the river flow. Golden plains waited beyond the endless trees. He felt free; not confined between trees or houses. He could see farther than he ever could when he was down below. And the sky… It was and endless blue that stretched over the horizon.

His older brother, Yime, was resting by his side, looking out into the world as well. They both sat between the stone pillars of the second top floor. Statues of goddess's poured crystal clear water out into the water filled basins that flowed through the man made stream and out the open side. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked dreamily. "Do you remember it?"

Isaac looked up into the clear blue sky. It did look familiar… somewhat. The sky… it looked so close that he could touch it. 

__

I'll take you here to reach for the stars sometime…

He froze. He remembered someone saying that to him… Was it… Yime? He looked over at his brother who gave him a smile. "The sky…" he said, turning back towards the blue. "It looks like… like I can touch it." He stretched out his small hands feeling nothing but air as he tried to grasp the sky into his hands.

Yime let out a short laugh. "You always did try to touch it…" he told him. He gazed up into the sky as well with his golden eyes. "Once you're all grown up, you'll be tall enough to touch it."

Isaac pouted at him. "I don't want to wait that long! Lift me up!" he cried, pulling on Yime's sleeve. 

Laughing, Yime grabbed the little boy's waist and lifted him up onto his shoulders. "Can you touch it now?" he asked.

Isaac strained his arms into the sky, crying out in effort. "No… I'm not high enough," he groaned with disappointment. 

"Don't worry about it, Isaac. You'll reach it someday," his brother told him. "It's better at night. You can-"

"Reach for the stars…" Isaac finished for him. Yime looked surprised at him. "I remember someone saying something like that…" He smiled and messed up his brother's blue hair.

"Hey! Quit that!" Yime warned, swinging Isaac forward and tickling him. The little boy squealed and squirmed from his grasp. Yime was careful not to go too close to the edge of the stone floor. There were no protective railings or any safe ledges below them… 

Yime stopped the little torture to fix up his hair. "Do you remember who said it?" he asked after Isaac calmed back down. Isaac looked up at him and smiled. 

"It was you, wasn't it? You told me that only you and I came up here," Isaac told him. "It must have been you saying that you'll take me up here to reach the stars." He glanced up into the sky.

"You remembered my promise…" Yime smiled happily. His eyes glowed with joy. 

"Promise?" the boy asked, raising his brow.

"Yeah, a promise I made to you the first time I brought you here," Yime explained, brushing a hand through his hair.

"A promise…" the boy repeated softly. Then in a brighter tone, "Can we do it tonight?"

Yime scratched his chin, pondering that thought. "Hmm… It's going to be tough. There's more guards at night. Maybe when you're older, how about that?"

Isaac pouted and groaned. "I don't want to wait!" he cried, crossing his arms.

Grinning, Yime ruffled the boy's hair and laughed. "Don't worry, kid. You'll grow up soon enough. In the meantime, I'll teach you how to sneak in here on your own! That way, it'd be easier to sneak past the guards at night if both of us are perfectly trained." 

Isaac gleamed a smile before spotting Yime's old sword he had retrieved from before. He touched it, remembering what Yime had told him. "Yime?" he wondered. "Why did you say _my_ father gave it to you and not _our _father? Wasn't he your dad too?"

Yime scratched his head nervously. "Uh… Well…" he fumbled, "To tell you the truth… I'm not really your brother…"

"What?!" Isaac cried, gaping in surprise. 

"You see… I'm not from this village at all. Your mother found me and took me in when I was a little kid. My real name isn't Yime… I don't know what my real name is… I have no memory of my past," Yime explained. He sat back down, looking over the lush green forest. "You and I are so alike; we both have amnesia… We both have no past. But you're a little different. There are people here who remembers who you are. Your friends, the villagers… and me."

Isaac sat beside him, carefully looking down at the village. "Yime… We're still brothers, though. Right?' he asked.

Yime gave him a grin. "Of course, we are. Although we're not brothers in blood, we're brothers in mind and spirit. Your mom and dad were like parents to me. When you were born, I was happy to have a little sibling to take care of when they were too busy. Which was most of the time…"

He dipped his hand into the clear water, freezing the surface around his hand with his Psynergy. He then lifted the slab of ice out of the water to show Isaac. "Cool? Isn't it? I'm the only one in this village who can do this."

Isaac touched the slick surface and grinned. "Can I learn to do that too?" he asked.

"I don't know… You're a ninja from the village of Vale. Fire, wind, and earth are the elements you can control. So… I don't think you could. No one else can summon the Water Element in this village. Not even the Wise One," Yime explained.

Isaac watched the water drip from the ice and onto the stone floor. _A ninja of Vale…_ he thought. He grinned and stood up, eager to get moving. "Yime, I want to be a ninja! A real ninja like you! Can you teach me?" he asked.

Brushing a hand over his hair, Yime smirked. "I'll help you train, but your sensei will be the one to teach you. School's gonna resume two days after the Ceremony of Passing. I'll get you back in shape for it in no time." Then he stood up and stretched his back. "Let's go back down. I'm hungry, aren't you?"

Nodding, Isaac happily climbed up his brother's shoulders and grinned. 


	11. Remembrance of Heart

A/N: Hello everyone! This took longer than I thought it'd would. Sorry about that! Really, I am! I was interrupted many times while I was typing this out… ^_^ Sorry for the inconvenience! Enjoy! 

Oh, by the way: 'Onii-chan' means 'Brother' in Japanese. Jenna will be saying that instead of Felix's name. Tell me if you like it better if she refers Felix as 'Felix' or 'Onii-chan'. And it's actually 'sougoi' and not 'sou-koi' for 'amazing!/ awesome!/cool!… etc. I changed that little mistake in previous chapters.

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Chapter 11: Remembrance of Heart

"Warriors in our soul and heart,

Their spirits rise above us,

God, guide them free,

Above the heavens they watch,

God, set them free,

Spirit, mind, body,

They are with us,

Forever shall we remember!"

Garet quietly listened to his grandfather's words as he held his mother's and his grandmother's hands. All the villagers gathered around the shrine tower for the Ceremony of Passing, praying, crying, and silent. All the bodies of the dead were laid carefully in a well-made bed of sticks. Cremation of each body happened one after the other and each name was burned into the large stone tablet that stood before the shrine by the Wise One, Kallis Heidachi.

The sunny, cloudy sky shone a deep sky blue as the morning sun illuminated the village below with it's warmth.

"Follow heaven's path," his grandfather said aloud, to each of the bodies as they began to burn. The head pieces the ninjas wore were all given to their families to remember their courage and honour they showed that day.

When Kaylina's name appeared next on the stone, Garet couldn't help but utter a whimper as he began to cry. His mother also wept beside him, tightening her hold on his hand. His father looked emotionless at the ground before him, and beside his father were Jenna and Felix with their mother.

Garet had spotted Isaac with only his older brother among the crowd when everyone was gathering. But now he couldn't see where they were.

When all bodies were lit aflame, Garet's grandfather spoke once more to everyone. "The names of all who have died in the great battle are burned into the stone tablet in front of this shrine. Their souls watch above us in the high heavens. Forever, we shall keep their spirit within our hearts." 

Thick, black smoke trailed up to the open blue sky above them.

Jenna quietly followed beside her mother while Felix lagged behind them. They were heading home after the sad and unwanted Ceremony of Passing. She listened carefully to each of Garet's grandfather's prayer as she numbly tried her best not to weep for her father. Crying shows weakness, and she wanted to be strong, just like her brother.

Her mother, too, didn't break into tears during the ceremony. 

Jenna walked by Garet's home without realizing until she heard him call her name. "Jenna-chan…" he quietly spoke. He sat alone on the stone steps of his porch, smiling sadly at her and her family.

Jenna stopped walking, returning Garet's smile. "Garet-kun!" she cried. She gave him an unexpected hug. "I heard about… Garet… I'm sorry…"

The red-haired boy tensed under her touch, surprised at her words. "Jenna… You…" he said awkwardly. 

Her mother interrupted him, however. "Jenna. Felix. Why don't you two play with Garet-chan, okay?" she asked her children who gave her a questioning look. "I think it would be best to get together and do something besides loitering at home today…" she explained. 

"Yes," Garet's father added as he stepped out onto the porch. "It _is_ a good idea to go have fun with your friends, Garet." He gave him a reassuring smile, patting his son's shoulder. "Go on, don't sit around here moping by yourself."

Garet slowly nodded his head, looking glumly at the ground. "I will…" he said quietly. 

His father patted his head, "Be home before dinner, okay?" 

Garet nodded. His father gave everyone else a small smile. Jenna's mother patted each of their heads. "Have fun now, okay? Be home before supper as well," she told the two siblings. 

The three of them left the two adults alone, walking towards and unknown destination. Garet was the first to speak, "Jenna. Felix… You don't have to be sorry… you both… lost your father…"

"Father…" Jenna repeated, staring at her feet as she followed the boys.

They all fell silent, listening to the morning birds sing above them. "We should go back," Felix finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Back where, onii-chan?" Jenna asked her brother who just brushed back his long hair.

"I want to see father's name…" he told her, walking ahead.

Jenna and Garet followed right behind him, keeping quiet.

When they arrived back in front of the shrine, the thick smell of smoke wafted around them, stinging their eyes. Jenna coughed and covered her nose. Some villagers were still gathered around the shrine, seeking comfort from each other as they watched the tablet, beautifully written with the names of the fallen ones. Jenna, Felix, and Garet pushed their way to the front to see. 

"There… Father's name," Felix said, pointing close to the top. Jenna had to crane her neck to find it, slightly smiling as she did. "Rico Kiyoma," Felix read out loud, clenching his fists.

Jenna sighed. To her left, she spotted familiar blue hair by the shrine entrance. Without a doubt, it was Yime, and he wore his new golden Kuuyin head piece that replaced his old silver Genyin one. Beside him was Isaac who held onto his older brother's hand.

Jenna tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Isaac's over there. Let's go see him!" she said. She ran towards her friend who spotted her and waved. She smiled and waved back. "Isaac-kun! Satoshi-san!" she cried stopping in front of them, coughing slightly from the smoke. 

They both gave her a smile. "Jenna-chan, how are you doing?" the older boy asked.

Jenna shrugged. "I don't know… Satoshi-san. I'm not sure how I should feel…" she told him, looking up at his golden eyes that were dimmer than ever…

Yime nodded, closing his eyes. "Yeah… I know how it is," he said softly. "It's been a tough day today."

Felix and Garet caught up to Jenna and greeted the two boys.

"Hi Isaac," the red-haired boy greeted.

Isaac gave him a timid smile and quietly said, "Hi…"

Garet tilted his head to the side, raising a brow at him. "What's wrong Isaac?" he asked the boy.

Isaac flinched, looking away as he quietly sighed. 

Yime was about to speak but Jenna was first to answer. "Garet… there's something you should know…" she whispered into her friend's ear. "Isaac doesn't remember anything…"

"Nani?!" Garet cried, eyes as big as saucers. "W-What do you mean…? He _doesn't_ remember… anything?" he said quietly, staring at his lost friend. 

Jenna slowly nodded. "Isaac doesn't remember us…" she told him. "Something happened to him that made him forget…"

Garet's face fell. He shook his head, put on a smile and approached the shy boy who was once his best friend. "Isaac!" he grinned, "I'm Garet, remember? We used to train with each other before school started."

Isaac scratched his head. "Garet?" he wondered, "Hmm… You do seem familiar…" But then he shook his head. "But… I don't remember…"

Garet frowned a little, but then he grinned again. "It's okay, Isaac. I'll help you remember. We're friends, right?" 

Isaac started to smile. "I guess so…" he answered. 

Garet laughed. "I guess you don't remember that. But it's true! We're friends. And we'll always be friends no matter what!" Garet grinned, bringing his fist out and winked. 

Isaac grinned back, imitating Garet's posture. Garet laughed, "You remember that?"

Isaac blinked, blushing slightly as he giggled. "I don't know… I felt like copying you…"

Jenna felt happy inside. Isaac was still Isaac, no matter what. 

Yime patted the boys' heads. "I gotta go now, okay? The Wise One wanted to see me, so I'm going inside." he explained, receiving disappointment from Isaac. "I'll be back soon. Isaac, you can go play with your friends, okay? Meet back home… Oh, uh… you remember where that is right?" he asked nervously.

Isaac nodded, receiving another pat on the head. Yime grinned, "Okay! When you're done, go straight home. See ya then, Isaac-chan. Je ne, mina!" Yime waved and entered the shrine.

Felix, who remained silent the whole time, grunted and walked away. "Onii-chan, where are you going?" Jenna called after her brother. 

Felix headed towards the training grounds, ignoring her call. She frowned, biting her lower lip. 

Jenna heard Garet and Isaac behind her, "Let's follow him," Garet suggested. 

They quietly followed right behind the dark haired boy. They reached the training grounds, but Felix kept going, heading straight into the target range. 

When they arrived, Felix stopped, turning sharply at them. "We should train here. Te become strong. To become _ninjas_!" he emphasized the last word. He gave Jenna a stern look, then glared at Isaac. "Right, _Isaac_? You remember how it is, don't you? You want to be _strong_, _stronger_ than any of us!"

Isaac avoided his dark eyes, afraid of his tone. "I… don't remember…" he quietly answered, shifting his feet uncomfortably. 

Jenna furrowed her brow at her brother, "Onii-chan… what are you doing?" she asked him. Felix ignored her however, keeping his glaring eyes at Isaac.

The dark-haired boy tightly clenched his hands into fists as he approached the blond-haired boy. Isaac averted his eyes away, not wanting to look into Felix's cold dark glare. "You _don't _remember, _Isaac_?!" Felix growled at him. Isaac slowly shook his head.

Felix brought his fist up… and knocked Isaac squarely across the face, knocking the boy into the ground. "_Who_?" Felix hissed. "Tell me, _Isaac_. Who _are_ you? You're not Isaac! You're not him at all! _Who_?! _Who_ are you?!"

Jenna shrieked in surprise and hurried to Isaac's side. The blonde haired boy slowly sat up, rubbing his throbbing cheek as tears of pain stung his eyes. Jenna growled at her brother, "Onii-chan! What are you doing?!"

Garet stood between the two boys, giving Felix a hard stare. "What are you doing, Felix?! Why'd you hit Isaac?!" he roared. 

Felix simply glared an icy stare at the redhead. "_Because_," he answered coldly, "It's his fault he lost his memories! He's not Isaac… Not the Isaac we know!"

Garet shook his head at him. "He _is_ Isaac! Just because he forgot everything doesn't mean he still isn't!" Garet yelled back.

Jenna helped Isaac stand up. "Isaac-kun… are you okay?" she gently asked.

He pulled away from her grasp. "Isaac… that's who I am. Isn't it?" he quietly asked her.

Felix however, overheard. "You are _not_ Isaac," he answered, harshly. 

Garet narrowed his red eyes at him. "Felix! Stop it!" he growled.

"You. Are. _Not_. Isaac!" Felix repeated.

Isaac took a shaky breath. He turned around abruptly and ran away…

"Isaac-kun!" Jenna cried after him, but he was out of sight. She ran up to her brother and slapped him across the face so hard that the smack echoed around them. "Onii-chan!" she cried, tears falling freely from her angry eyes. "Why?! Why did you do that?! It's not Isaac's fault he doesn't remember anything! It's not his fault!"

Felix touched his red cheek, falling to his knees. He didn't meet her eyes, but stared at the ground. His shoulders shook slightly as he began to gently sob. "Jenna… It's not fair…" he whispered. "D-Dad's gone forever, Jenna… And now Isaac… the _real_ Isaac is gone too…I want to be strong… but I can't… I failed, Jenna… I failed…"

Jenna felt all her anger float away, seeing her brother cry tore her heart apart. Felix never cried… He was the strong one between the both of them. But now seeing him break down, Jenna _had_ to be strong. Not only for herself and Felix, but for her mother as well.

Jenna couldn't stand the sight of him. She grabbed both his shoulders and shook him. "Onii-chan! Get a hold of yourself!" she cried. "You're the strong one, not me! Please, onii-chan, please! I can't do this alone! I… I'm not as strong as you… Please, onii-chan…"

Felix continued to sob. He shook his head at her, continuing to stare at the ground. "I… can't Jenna… I'm not strong enough… I'm a failure…" 

Anger rushed through her again as she slapped him across the face once more. "Onii-chan!" she screamed. "You _are_ strong! You're stronger than I will ever be! Please, onii-chan! Mommy needs your strength… I need your strength… Without it, I'll never be able to live another day without Daddy around…" She began to cry again.

Garet gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Felix looked up and stared at his younger sister with his tear streaked face. "Jenna…" he whispered, choking back a sob. "Jenna… I… I'm sorry." He stood up and wiped away his tears with his arm. "You're right… Jenna. I have to be strong, for you and for mother."

Jenna started to smile. Felix smiled back. "I _will_ become stronger, Jenna! One day, I will avenge father's death. I _will_ become a real Shinobi and I will defeat the Fire Clan on my own!" he roared.

Jenna's smile faded. "Onii-chan…"

Felix's eyes burned with pure hatred as he smirked at both of them. "I'll _kill_ them all!" he hissed, clenching his fists and raising them into the air. "I will _kill_ them _all_!" he cried into the blue sky above them.

Yime grabbed the ancient scroll into his own hands, examining the beautiful blue symbols and markings that covered the rolled up piece of ancient paper. He cocked his head to the side as he raised a brow at the Wise One. "Ne? What kind of scroll is this?" he asked the old man. 

He and the Wise One were both at the top floor of the shrine tower where all valuables, treasures, and a rarity of fine weapons of Vale were stored and locked away behind a magically sealed stone door. Golden swords and silver spears and other types of weaponry hung on the walls while old paintings of ancient history and war hung alongside them. The large arced windows were open to let in a nice cool breeze into the stuffy room.

The Wise One took a puff of his pipe before answering. "That, my boy, is Leviathan."

Yime almost dropped the scroll as his eyes widened with shock. "L-Leviathan?!" he cried, "Why are you giving it to me?!"

The old man took another puff. "I want you to take care of it, Yime. As you probably know by now, no one in this village can summon the beast."

Confused, Yime scratched his head. "Huh? What do you mean, Heidachi-sama?" he wondered.

Heidachi took the pipe out of his mouth and smiled. "The power of Leviathan… No one in this village can control it. Leviathan controls the Water Element, Satoshi," he answered, giving the boy a hint.

Yime laughed nervously. "Uh…Do you mean to give this to me just because I…" he trailed off, carefully examining the scroll once more.

Heidachi nodded. "It's no use to me, or anyone else in Vale. Our Psynergy cannot summon Leviathan; the previous Wise Ones all tried and so have I," he told him, putting the pipe back in his mouth. "I believe only the one with the same powers as Leviathan can completely control it."

Yime grinned and kneeled before the Wise One, holding the ancient scroll before him. "Thank you, Heidachi-sama! I promise that I will keep this safe with me always… or… I could leave it here in the shrine. Um… Should I?" he asked nervously.

"Keep it with you, boy. You are the sole protector and user of the scroll now. Keep it hidden in a safe place that only you would know," the old man replied, stroking his long, white beard.

The blue-haired boy nodded, grinning seriously at the older man. He was about to thank him once more, but they were interrupted by a woman's voice coming from the doorway…

"Two are gone, and now two remain, Kallis."

Yime turned sharply around, finding a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in faint violet robes standing before him and the Wise One. She had a stern look plastered on her delicately strong feminine features. Her long purple hair was neatly tied in a bun at the top and in her hand she held a silver staff with a pale green orb held at the top by a silver bird. 

"Who are you? And how did you get here unnoticed?!" Yime growled at the suspicious stranger. He pulled out his katana, prepared to fight.

Heidachi, however, blocked him from advancing further. "There's no need for that, boy." he told him, then to the stranger, "We meet again, Hama."

Her deep violet eyes stared hard into him as her lips curved into a smile. "Kallis, why didn't you heed my warning?" she asked him sternly. "I told you about the Fire Clan, and yet you didn't bother to listen."

Heidachi closed his eyes and puffed on his pipe. "It isn't easy to believe in words of the future, Hama. What you said back then didn't matter to me," he replied sharply, giving her a hard look.

Hama shifted her hold on her staff, sighing. "I gave you a fair warning, Kallis. Sacrificing the Ancient Dragon was a mistake, just like when your ancestors sacrificed the Phoenix to protect this village. The four Guardians are to retain the Stars once more to shine the light for our world's destiny. If you do not follow this prophecy, darkness will once again rule the world as legends have told of the _Dark Bringer_!" she warned him. 

Heidachi didn't look interested in her ramblings as he kept his eyes closed, puffing away on his pipe. Hama continued, ignoring his stubbornness, "When the balance of Elements is broken, the _Dark Bringer_ will return to consume the world in darkness; throwing all life out of existence!"

Yime looked back and forth between the two, feeling confused and overwhelmed by the woman's story. He shifted uncomfortably as he listened to her speak.

"Kallis, our future is at stake!" Hama cried, tightening her grip on her staff as she furrowed her brow.

Heidachi grunted in response, opening his tired eyes to look straight at her. "I _do_ know about the _Dark Bringer_. But your prophecy may be wrong, my dear. The Ancient Dragon may be gone for now, but the great Phoenix has returned. It's been over a hundred years… surely the Phoenix has been reborn. So the world is still in a fine balance of Elements." he explained in a even tone.

Hama gave him a spiteful look before closing her deep violet eyes. "There may be still balance now, Kallis," she said evenly, opening her eyes, giving Heidachi a stern smile. "But the future does not bode well as the third of the Four Guardians will soon be sacrificed as well, along with the Phoenix… As we speak, the Fire Clan are heading towards my hometown, looking for the sacred Golden Scale. They're planning something that has to do with the prophecy. But I cannot tell…"

"The Fire Clan?!" Yime burst out loud. He blushed slightly when he noticed that both Hama and Heidachi gave him a nod. 

"The Fire Clan, is it?" Heidachi muttered under his breath. "It seems they never give up…"

Hama nodded. "Don't underestimate them in the future. Or the demons… I warn you both: beware the darkness that lurks within the shadows of the world." 

She turned sharply around, heading out the door. "Wait, Hama." Heidachi stopped her in her tracks but she didn't turn around. "Is there something else you wanted to say?" he asked her politely.

Yime could see a small smirk in the corner of her lips. "I didn't think you would care, Kallis," she answered. "The four Elemental Stones. The four Guardians. The four Sacred Grounds… Remember those words as the prophecy unveils before you. I bid thee farewell, Kallis, Yime." She left the room without another word and disappeared from sight as Yime ran to follow her.

The blue-haired boy, scratched his head, confused. "How did she know my name?" he wondered out loud.

"She can read your thoughts, boy." Heidachi answered, still puffing on his pipe. He took one last puff before taking it out of his mouth. "It's been ten years…"

"Ten years?" Yime asked. He realized he still had his katana in his hand and placed it back in it's scabbard. 

Heidachi sighed. "I met her when I was searching for the Ancient Dragon. She appeared before me when I entered Wind Valley. She told me how we are alike with our powers and how she can read minds. Then she told me a fairy tale of how she can predict the future and how I can change it. She warned me about the Fire Clan, and how they will attack Vale on a bleak cloudy day, ten years in the future…" he whispered, lowering his head. 

Yime gasped, opening his mouth to speak but closed it as Heicachi continued. 

"I didn't believer her, however, and told her she was full of it. But now, since the Fire Clan's attack, I realized that she is more than a story teller; she's a prophet."

"A prophet?" Yime repeated the last word, unsure what it meant since he never heard it before.

The Wise One nodded as he approached an open window, gazing out at the quiet village below. "A person who knows much wisdom and knowledge of what's yet to come, my boy. You see, she comes from a village just like our own; deeply hidden from the outside world to protect a powerful secret. It must've been luck that I ran into her, but she called it fate…" He stroked his beard as a cool breeze brushed past him and into the hot room. He didn't say a another word until Yime stiffened a sneeze from the dust floating in the air.

"Oh! Yes…" he continued looking as though he just realized that Yime was still in the room. He cleared his throat, giving him a wary smile. "Don't worry too much, boy. These matters don't concern you. If the prophecy does ever come, we will be prepared."

"As you say so, Heidachi -sama," Yime told him. "When do you think-"

"Not too soon, boy." Heidachi answered abruptly, "Ten years ago, she mentioned that 'wings of a golden dragon will the awaken the light of hope for the flaming bird.' So that means the Phoenix has yet be found. She mentioned that the Phoenix, along with the third Beast, would be sacrificed. And yet, we have no whereabouts of the bird, nor the third Beast, Kyubi."

Yime gave him an unsurely stare, not sure if he should be glad that the world hadn't plunged into darkness yet or that there was plenty of time before that would happen to the world. 

Heidachi bellowed in laughter. "Don't worry, Satoshi. I won't let the same mistake happen twice on me. I swear… But when the time comes, I will know for sure. Now, off you go. I have some things to do." He gestured towards the door with his hand. 

Yime nodded as he held the scroll tightly in his hand. "Thanks again, Heidachi-sama! I will protect this scroll with my life and honour! You can count on that for sure!" he said happily. He did a little bow and left the room.

__

Such great honour! Yime thought joyfully as he clutched the scroll of Leviathan in his sweaty palms. He wanted to show everyone what he had received, but thought twice on that. The Wise One handed it to him because he trusted him, wasn't that right? So he should keep it as a secret from others. 

That must be what the Wise One thought when he handed Yime the scroll. _Well, whatever it is… I have Leviathan in my own hands! And I promise to take good care of it._

Isaac was wrong when he said he remembered where his home was. He sat on a random step of a random home, tired from running and walking around the village, looking for his house. Each house looked just like the other beside it. 

He was also angry and hurt from earlier. The dark-haired boy, Felix. Isaac hated him. He hated the way he talked to him, and he hated how he looked at him. He hated him period. Why he hit him on the face didn't make sense. It couldn't have been your fault if you lose your own memories, could it? 

He hastily wiped his eyes, feeling a wet presence of old tears on the back of his hand. He stared gloomily at the dirt ground, pulling his legs up to his chin. He watched the soles of people's feet walk past him, waiting. What he waited for, he didn't know.

One thing he didn't want to see were his friends. The friendly purple-haired girl, Jenna, and the flaming red-haired-boy, Garet. They were his friends, but he didn't want to see them at the moment. Not after the incident before.

His stomach growled for food. It was far past noon, and he hasn't eaten since this morning. He clutched his stomach tightly, trying to stop the grumbling.

"Isaac?"

He looked up into the golden eyes of his brother who looked worried. Isaac gave him a small smile, nervously scratching his head. "Uh… I forgot where our house was! Gomen, Yime! I didn't think…"

Yime smiled back, "It's okay, Isaac! It happens…" His smile faded suddenly when he looked closely at Isaac. "What happened to you?! Did you get into a fight?! Did-"

Isaac cut him off by shaking his head vigorously. "It's okay! I'm fine! I just got…into a little… fight…" he said, feeling uneasy. 

Yime gave him a slight nod. He then grinned broadly and stuck out his hand, showing Isaac an old worn out scroll. "Guess what this is!" his brother said happily.

Biting his lip for a moment in thought, Isaac shrugged. Yime waved the scroll in front of him, still grinning. "This," Yime said, "Is Leviathan!"

He raised a brow and wondered what Yime was talking about. "What's that?" he asked. He flinched when he saw Yime frown with disappointment for a second and then smiled, rubbing his head. 

"Haa! This is a summon scroll! I forgot to explain about them to you," Yime told him. "Come on, let's go home and eat. I'll tell you more after, okay?"

Isaac nodded. "I'm really hungry! Let's run home!" he said gleefully.

Yime smirked at him. "Run home, ne?" 

He nodded. "Mm! I'll follow right behind you!"

"Yosh! We'll run at top to avoid collisions with people. Follow me!" Yime laughed as he hopped onto the wooden railings beside Isaac and jumped up onto the roof of the house.

Isaac grinned. Inside, he knew he could do the same simple task that Yime had done. He doesn't remember jumping on top of houses, but his body does. He followed suit, and soon he tailed close behind his brother as they leapt from one house to another, and another, and another, until they reached the house with the red brick chimney. Lots of sparrows and other small birds perched around and on top the chimney, chirping away with an afternoon song.

"It's simple, really, to remember where our house is," Yime first said as they landed in front of the door. "Just look for the only house that has birds on it all the time. I don't know why, but they seem to like our roof because they're always there. I used to scare them away when I was little and they always come back. Strange, don't you think?"

Isaac watched the sparrows above him and nodded. Yime groaned, "They make such a mess though… I'll need to clean the roof again… Bleah… Come on, Isaac. Let's eat! Then I'll tell you everything about your parents, and everything you need to know about becoming a ninja."

Isaac grinned happily as he followed his brother inside. He took one last look at the birds, seeing them fly off in search of food, then entered inside.


End file.
